Power to the People - August/September 2000 by Armenian International Magazine

JACOB',S JEWE,LRY CO., LTD. BY OHANES AGOPIAN

232-236 MAHESAK SOI 2 ROAD, BANGRAK, BANGKOK 1O5OO, THAILAND TEL: (662) 635 6440-t FAX: (662) 63s 8t0t E-mail : howick @ sj i.bangkokgems.net

/UNI

MGUS

18 Plffinago

ln tsm

Catholicos Aram I and thousands converge on the St. Thadeus Monastery

milIil lffl I ilII[illll 0tllt ]rllEtll llt August September 2000, Volume 11, No.8-9 OEPIRIIIIEIT$

8 FnomtlnEdlton 9 LottsPs 12 14 17 20 22 24 26 28 71

lf,l

UlGru

tlotc0oo[ Bytos on

tllc

0loDalPlctno

lHnorla B{ols Ecmurlc ltlews & hdlcatuns Roglonal BniotE

lllaspona Bnhfis

thffin Interview with Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh

IIESIINAINil$

31 lllsGouer lnmonia A pull-out section for tourists in and around Yerevan

Destinatlons Cover design Patrick Azadian Cover photo by Matthew Karanian

76 Ants Armenian music burgeoning in Tirrkey

82 lloil I tot lhls Shot 84 Uillsroxpossd 86 Essay GOUER

SIllRY

PowGn to tno Poopls Energy privatization, the future of nuclear power and alternative energy

IRT tGHE

78 lthws lnom around tho wonld

Cover design Patrick Azadian

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

-w" -:f"

-A t'Aeg1"$e $ LUSL,He t$,

i:1,

,. 1, :rir ia Iil, 1+t s :t!: ,:,,,1 r Is s -i -..1

,u $;

L*J

"+r'rv$$FW:8t1,gl,jf ;r4{g&{&

!'ilEi'ai{Tl

,: --.;ln'-

;+E#ffis ,. :.1:

i:ijrr

..;' Buying or Selling of Residential and Commercial Beal Estate Apartment Buildings . 0flice Buildings . lndustrial . Shopping Centers

HEIMAX OF GLENIIALE 333 tast Glenoaks Boulevard

919.517.63Et Over 20 Years

of Experience in the Greater Los Angeles

Suite 100 Area

Glendale California 91201

/UNI

No Comment AIM's writers are an interesting bunch and their combined interests and skills cover a lot of territory. Matthew Karanian, whose byline appears frequently in this issue, has been working with AIM for nearly three years. An attorney by training, Matt (or Matevos) as AIM'i Yerevan staff calls him, had been to Armenia several times before he began writing for AI14. His current involvement with the magazineis part-time, as he continueJpost-graduate studies at Georgetown University Law School in Washington, DC. Still, this seems to leave him plenty of time to travel (he just retumed from a month_ long stay in Armenia and Georgia) and to pursue photography. This is no Ionger just a hobby for him. Together with Robert Kurkjian, they have puuristrea our oF SToNE, and are now developing future books on Armenia and Karabakh. But before being writer and photographer, Matt is an attomey. So, when he submitted his stories for the DiscoverArmenia tourism insert in this issue, he included the following caveat. "Here is a disclosure of my interviewing methods on the hotels story,', he said. "I researched Yerevan's newest hotels by touring each facility, and looking at the rooms. I posed as a tourist, and I spoke to the desk clerks or whoever eise was desig-nated to speak to tourists. I spoke only English, as might many tourists from the US anJ Europe, and I received information that they presumably would want any tourist to have. "when I started researching, I introduced myself as an AIM joumalist, and explained everything fully. In one place, I was denied an interview, and reiused permission to take photographs, because they were upset with the proximity of their hotel,s photo to the text about another hotel in last year's coverage. At another place, I was told t couta not take photographs or interview anyone without written permission from the owners, which could be secured by making an application in writing, on AIM letterhead. Because I needed this hotel for my story, I returned a couple of days later posing as a tourist in need of a room for my soon-to-arrive brother. On my second visit I was given a full tour. 'After these two incidents, I routinely identified myself only as a tourist at every other hotel. As a tourist, I was allowed to make photographs to show to my friends back home, and I was given full tours, price disclosures, the .;? works." I share this information with you to make a point about how difficult it continues to be to get good, solid, reliable information in Armenia. Individuals in Soviet society survived by playing their cards close to the

Phone 818 246 7979 Fax 818 246 0088

E-mail aimagazine@aol.com EdilorPublisher

Salpi Haroulinian Ghazaliao Senior Edilor

HratcI Tchllingirian Arl Direclor

Patilck AIadian Assistanl lo lhe Editor

Hrah Sad(is

Sa*isslan

Edilor at Laroe

Parik l{azadan Associate Edilors

A. H. Al6randilan, Yorevan Tony Hahin, London Contributin0 tdilors

JoIn Hrghss, Matlhew l(alanian, R0nald Grigor Suny, Taline Voskerllctian Conkibuting Writers

Felix Corley, l(risten [idd Associale Pubiisher

Tcni tlelidonian Subscriplions l\4anager

Seta lftodanian Adverlisin0 l\.,lanager

Fimi Mekhitarian Adminislrative Assislant

Karina Avodissian lnterns

Caroline minassian, Ani Pezeshkian, Levon Thomassian

YoreYan Eureau 67 Koghbalsi Slreet, No. Phone 533699

E-mail aimarm@a,mtnco.com Coordinator

Anahil Madirossian Assislanl

Anna Gsvotkian Adverlising Manager

Gohal Sahatian Design and Production

Vahan Stepanian

tion to themselves.

,,,;* : , !. @ -

Armenia, or

207 Soulh Brand Boulevard, Suite 203 Glendale, Calilornia 91204 USA

Today, even if it is in their best interests to do so, they are still unwilling to pass on information,

make statements for which they may be held accountable, or to publicly state facts which may change - and possibly get them in trouble. Despite such limitations, AIM,s staff continues to try to ferret out the facts, whether for merely complex topics such as tourism in the more consequential and hazardous subjects ,r.h u. energy which is

addressed in our cover story. To follow up on the problem of late mail delivery of this magazine in certain cities and states, we wrote to the US Postal Service and to our Congressional Representative. Their responses are reproduced here, and on file at AIM. 'The postal Service is aware of the prob_ lem with the processing and delivery of periodical mail," they tell us from washington DC, and "we are implementing steps to identifo and correct our deflciencies,,'they say. we,re hopeful.

/".rfurfUf-

Contributors Arlashos Emin, YercEn: Susan patie, Lordon; Edit Balaian, tos Ar0sles; Janst Samu8tian, patm Sprhgs; Mark ilalkaslan, Rhod0 lsland; Gâ&#x201A;ŹorgE Bounoutian, [0la Xoundaliian, llsw y0*; ]ryilam Gaume, parls; Moorad Moondlan, Wasiinot0n, DC; Van n ilatioslan, Buanos Aires, Diego XaBmalulirn, Monlayideo. Photographers: mkhitar (hachatrian, Zawn Xhachitian, Bouben Maryasrian, Amenia;Antoins Aooudiian, Amimh J0hann6, Alinr tlanoukirn, Fmncs; Edmord T0nlopian, U|q Ka]ine Armsn, l(Evo* Diansszian, flafll Elmekii, Eric l{aariafl, Ara oshag8n, Calilornia; Gar0 Lachlniatr, ]rla$achustb;Harry Koundakiial, llew yoil; Belge Am Zoiian, Rhods lsland. Edilo{ tmeritus

Charlss l{azarian ln16rnalioral Suiscripti0ns and Adv6rlising BsprBsentativss

A{oilina Cohgro lve<tila is'a. Virey de' Piro 35 I t-l 1 426t BLe.os Aires phone 54 , I 4552 'i8 Koota Ave Last {r tara tySW 20/t phore 02 925i igg2 J590 Auslrrlla Vn mt K{er der Al,red ltilarkariil P0 Box 370 Hatris park NSW 2150, phoie 029897 1846t Vahe Katebio.ir;i 250 Porl Melbourne, Viclorla 3207, Phone 03 9794 0009 Camda Ramtg Hakimian 3150 $ileton Slrel Sl Laurefl, owbtr H4BI E3, Phone 51 4 339 251 7 HoU Xong la-cl wtunn, Rttt lZ,

oF,A

Vral\,,10

Wllte t0 Alm! We welcome all communrcati0n. Allhouoh we read all leflers and submissi0qs. we are Jnable t0 acknowle0ge everythins rie receivCoue to li;iled sla[rng an0,esoJrces. Leflers t0 lhe Edilor may be ediled tor publicatr0n.

Armenian lnlernalional fUagazine Founded in lgg0 Founding Editor Varlan 0skanian Founding Publisher Michael ilahabet

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

t,f,

26 Ka. C-tonO_Fd . \ostoon Bay Kow oon. onone OS) ZSS SiW ttrty rie,,e Aatan a., acca.6lA4/5 Bome Paonegg5t235L0brlolZa4ouh.Kaba],an pb Bo/55669, Beirul,Le.bjnof,Phore(1)510212Un[sdAntEmimtosCutizar,tonian,pO.Soi44!i,4Anu D,h-abi, LIAE, Phore 97i 2 644 i721, Fax 97j 644 0j91 lrnttrd Kngdom ti4iuk ohmiil 1051i,,lil Hil Bd Aclor, Lond0n W3&lF, phofe 020 8992 4621 B

by them. Not only that, we must follow their example. Every little bit helps. Great changes start small.

Dr Armen Gakavian Sydney,

Armenia's Future is in the

Australia

Air

professional insecurities of airline management, the ministries of transport and finance, and the prime minister's office at the time.

The initial tactical intent of acquiring the Airbus A3l0 was as a short term and bridge solution to a long term business, operations,

and aircraft fleet rationalization strategy.

the macro political level. At the grassroots level, the absence of any collective public reaction (violent or non-violent) was due more to an overwhelming apathy and sense of powerlessness, than to a

However, this has not materialized to date.

The Airbus ,4.310 aircraft lease three year threshold is June 2001 for optional return and replacement, or June 2003 for lease-end return and mandated replacement with other Airbus aircraft. The business reality is that no airline including Armenian Airlines * can survive with only one commercially and operationally viable aircraft.

A quick

in Gumri where temperatures reach 125 degrees Fahrenheit in summer and -30 degrees in winter. Their living conditions are

was one of the three individuals from the

diaspora that helped deliver the Airbus A3l0 aircraft (Notebook, June 2000) to Armenian Airlines in June 1998. This goodwill and hard work was returned with a complete lock-out and a communications cut-off after the delivery of the aircraft. This was not surprising given the

The Other Half of the Story Keith Bush of the Center for Strategic and International Studies might be right in stating that "Armenia's ability to avoid civil unrest" following the assassinations in October last year "was a laudable indication of its adherence to the path of democratic development"(Global Picture, May 2000.) But this is only half the story describing the reality at

Earthquake on Frcnt Burner Official reports state that at the present time 56,000 persons are living in 14,000 wooden or metal containers, their " homes"

situational analysis

the

Armenian Airlines highlights the shortcom-

appalling. They have no running water, no electricity, no heat, no toilet facilities, roofs with huge parts gutted by rain, floors where you have to walk at the risk of stepping on "potholes"of rotten wood. I am sure no Armenian in the rest of the world can relate

to living under such horrendous conditions. There are many to lay the blame on, including the Diaspora. I am confident that an international magazine like AIM can bring this tragic picture to the front burner with a cover story. I am also confident that a mere one per-

cent of Armenians' wealth in the Diaspora could rebuild Gumri, give hope to the people in distress, and help stop the mass exodus. Together, let us not curse the darkness, but light a candle. Let us do more.

Yaroujan Gureghian Glendale, California

In the last l0 years, AIM has run three cover stories (most recently on January 1999)

a dozen articles on various aspects of ltfe in the earthquake zone. Armenia Fund estimates that rebuilding all the residential and educational structures and nearly

Organizational Structure, Airline Business

would cost approximately $5 million in Gumri, $3 million in Vanadsor and another

was in

Model, Management, Performance Trans-

$3 million in Spitak.

Yerevan on October 27. There was certainly a sense of shock among the population over what happened, but on the whole there was little sense that whathappened in the National Assembly would have any direct bearing on their everyday lives.

parency andAccountability The remedies and solutions are a long-way off. The starting point is the realization and acceptance of the situation, followed by the diagnosis of the root problems, and finally taking the remedy pills that will taste sour and be painful for all

commitment to a political ideal.

It is wonderful to

see so many govem-

ings in the Value System and Business Ethics,

involved.

ment and non-government projects in place in

The principal remedies and strategies

Armenia, so many initiatives, and so many people sacrificing so much to rebuild the country. But parallel to this, there is needed a much deeper transformation - the renewal of hope, empowerment and vision in the hearts of each and every citizen in Armenia. The

that could be applied include an integrated

spiritual, psychological and emotional needs

of this traumatized nation must be the focus of our efforts. In AIM, too, we have read of many such projects. They are worthy of our support and encouragement. There are also countless other individuals and organizations who are working, quietly, slowly and "One by One"(AIM View, May 2000) to provide the

people of Armenia with the opportunity to build their own future. Again, we must stand

national air commerce and air trade policy, 'an air transport system modemization plan, air transport system infrastructure ownership and equity distribution, air transport system and management performance metrics, air transport system corporatization, liberalization, and competition strategy, and financial

and operational transparency with total accountability.

In conclusion, where does Armenian Airlines go from here? Where does Armenia go from here? The current obvious answer is - Armenia's Future is in the Air! Jean Agopian El Segundo, California

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

The Editors

Tolerance I'd first like to congratulate you for offering such an informative and quality publica-

tion. I don't necessarily agree with all your editorial commentaq/, but I believe you are providing an excellent magazine, and I appreciate your efforts. I'm writing in response to "Invisible and Abandoned" (Connections, July 2000.) This report was extremely one-sided, and I would like to present another side. I acknowledge that your reporter had spent valuable time and effort to collect information in preparation for this article. But I would hope AIM reporters would conduct their research more thoroughly, and contact a wider spectrum ofpeople to have a fair representation of opinion. As a committed Armenian Christian, I was deeply disappointed in the comments of Reverend Father Shnork Demirjian, the respectable pastor of St. PeterArmenian Church in Van Nuys. I expected Father Shnork to presant a lit-

The Fourth Millennium Society is aD indepetrdently funded and administered public charit, commilted to the dissemination of informatiotr for the purpose of developing an informed public. Underpinning all our work is the fim conviction that the vitality of an independent press is fundametrtal to a dcmocratic society in Armenia and democratic institutions in the Diaspora. The Fourth Millcnnium Society publishes Armenian Intemational Magazine in its effort to contribute to the natiotral dialogue. The direciors ae gmteful to thc Benefactors, Trustees, Patrons and Fricnds of the Fourth Millennium Society who are committed to the well-being, growth and development of Armenians and Armenia through the promotion of open discussior and the free flow of information mong itrdividuals md orgeizations. Their finmcial contributiotrs support the work of the Founh Millemim Society and ensure the irdependerce of AIM. Michael Nahabet, Raffi Zinzalian, Directors

tle more truth to Armenian gays and lesbians, and to your readers. A Christian should not be tolerant of sin, may it be sexual sin or otherwise. Tolerance is one of the most misused concepts in the culture we live in. We should absolutely show love and compassion, but we shouldn't be tolerant of the wrong things that people do. To a Christian, the Bible is the only source of absolute ftuth, and it states very cleady that homosexuality is a sin. AChristian cannot compromise

DIRECTORS

with sin. God loves all men, no nratter

hates sin. He senthis sonJesus Chrisg who shed his blood on the cross to pay for men's sins. "You should not lie with a male as with a womim: it is an abomination." - [rviticus 18..22

"If a man lies with a male as with a

woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall be put to death: their blood is upon them." - Leviticus 20:13 The Bible further states that same sexes should not form a family, because same sexes cannot reproduce. God ordained the first family consisting of Adam and Eve, a man and a woman. The reason for the family was for the two sexes to complement

BENEFACTORS Sarkis Acopian, Albert and Tove Boyajian, The Cafesjian Family Foundation, Inc. Hirair Hovnanian, The Lincy Foundation, Louise Manoogian Simone

SEMORTRUSTEES AUSTRALIA Heros & Kate Dilanchian CANADA Razmig Hakimian, Kourken Sarkissian HONG KONG Jack Maxian USA CAArmand & NancyArabian Khachig Babayan, George & Flora Dunaians Araxie M. Haroutinian, George & Grace Kay, Joe & Joyce Stein RI Papken Janjigian TOUNDING TRUSTEES AUSTRALIA Varoojan Iskenderian USA CA Garen Avedikian, Mardo Kaprielian, Edward Missertan, Bob Movelt, Varoujan Nahabet, Norair Oskanian, Emmy Papazian, Zareh Sarkissian, Raffi Zinzalian FL Hagop Koushakjian PA Zarouhi Mardikian ASSOCIATE TRUSTEES USA CA Vartkes and Jean Barsam, Armen and Gloriat Hampar, Walter and Laurel Karabian, Gary and Sossi Kevorkian, Ralph and Savey Tufenkian NH Jeannette John

each other spiritually, emotionally, and physically - and to reproduce. Father Shnork should have invited gays and lesbians to accept Jesus and be saved, not tolerate them so they will continue disobeying God's commandment. We should encourage Armenian gays and lesbians to accept Jesus as their personal savior, come out of their sinful ways, and live a saintly life as God intended. I am not going to comment on the opinions of Mr. Yacoubian and the actions he's taken to tolerate the Armenian gay and lesbian movement. It's clear to me that we don't speak the same language. I don't understand his position and he won't understand mine. But I expect Father Shnork to do what he can to bring Armenian gay and lesbian organizations to an end, and

bring their members to know the salvation and hope of Jesus Christ. As a member of the first Christian nation in history I feel saddened and ashamed to have an organization of gays and lesbians among our people. I strongly believe the souls of millions of marryrs from 17fi) years of our history would urge them to come to their senses. Thank you very much for your time and attention.

2OOO

Shahen Hairapetian, Armen Hampar, Zaven Ktranjian, Michael Nahabet, Alex Sarkissian, Bob Shamlian, Raffi Zinzalian.

how ttrey behave, saints and sinners. But God

Aesthetic & Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Dr. Kassabian Armenian Jewelers' Association Commerce Casino Hasmik Mgrdichian, George Tumanjan Grand Tobacco Hrand and Mikayel Vardanian ISB Group Armen & Ketty Kazandjian Law Office of Aris Artouniarx Aris and Karine Artounians Ourfalian and Ourfalian Rafi and Sarkis Ourfalian NASA Services Inc Sam and Elizabeth Sarkisian,

Nick

and Kamelia Sarkisian, Arsen Sarkisian

Pacific Sales Jerry Turpanjian Remax of Glendale Vahe and Aida Yeghiazarian Yerevan Hotel PATRONS Kevork md Satenig

ARMENIA Khachatur

0d Rouzma Soukirsim AUSTRALIA

Amm ud Nairi Derdcryo Aftin Etmekjie George

md Vanouhi Tavoukjim Mack Vahilie Anoaymous

CALITONNIA USA Mihrm ed Elizabeth Agbabiil

Gilabed Akpolat Harry and Alvart Baseghia Aram ud Terez Bdsenim Daniel Behesnilim Berj ad Hera Boyajim Hagop md Violet Dakessim

Ard6h ed Muio Dcrderi0 Dimitri md Tmaa Dimitri Steve md Lucille Estephmis

Nishut ad

Sona

Kmjerjim

Kmim

CONCTICUT USA Iouis T. Hagopim

Kirk md Am Kesapyu

John ed Rose Ketchoyan Zaven ed Sona l(hmjia

Kdkor Iftikodm Julie Kulhajim md Rogcr Strauch Louis md Grrce Kurkjiu Dom Serviuiu Kuhn Avik Mahdesimt Stepm ild Erdjmik Mtrkilian

Hmut ed

Rita

M6robim

Edwud ed Ali@ Navddgie

Amud

O. Norchad

Kemeth md Cindy Noria Rafi Ourfalio Michrcl md Heminc Piranim

Hntch 0d Helga Silkis Alex Srkissim Robert md Helen Shmlian

CYPRUS

IIALY

Icikor

ild Hmut

Istmbulim

LEBANON

Kevork Bouladim MASSACHUSETTS

USA

Kevo* Atinizian Richad Simonian MTCHIGAN USA George Chmchikjan

Alex Mmoogimt Kirakos

Vapurciyu

NEVADA T]SA

Larry md Seda Bmes NEW JERSEY USA

Magaet

Chatikuf Nmim

Pem$ ed Geine Taglym Ara md Avedis Tavitim Gaidzag ad Dzovig Zeidim CANADA

Arpir md Hemine Janoyil

V John md Lucille G. Srkissim

louise Aznavour

Hrcut Topsacalim

Z. Grcg Kahwajim md Mrc Kalaydjian

Jack

Sun Plastics, Inc.

Genir 0d Elise Dervishiu

Migidic md Ani Migirdicym

Nua Harry

and Anemis NEW YORX USA and Aida Koundakjim

Vahe

FRIENDS

OFAIM

Fouth Miuemium Saiety is grateful to the following for connibuting duing the lst month to ensw AIM's financial independence CANADA V Pailakiu New JeNy Jrck md Anita Anscrim The

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

Nishmimt

UMTED KINGIX)M Suzi Chakelim

Dira md

Mike Youssefian

Kaal6hiu

Mmoushag Femmim Gagik ad Kna Galstiu Vahm ad Audrey Gregor Piere md Alice Haig Shahen ud Martha Hrcutuniu

Pasadena, Califomia

I was so happy to read your article on gay and lesbian Armenians (Connections, July

Keheym

ISRAEL

Adrine

2000.) It breaks my heart when Armenians ofothers, because after all, wasn't it intolerance that killed one and a half million of us? Keep up the good work. Megan hknrian are intolerant

lo s Ang e I e s, C alifornia Happy Being Different

The U.N. committee overseeing the implementation on the elimination of all forms

discrimination against woman

Armenia to use the electronic media and educational system to combat the traditional stereotype of woman in the noble role asked

of mother (Global Picture, July 2000.) This summer, my church (mainline American) sent a team of men and women aged 24 to 38 to minister to the Armenian populace. These were liberated Americans who regularly practice equality for all. As they came in contact with the traditional Armenian mother, daughter, girl, female, they fell in love; it was not competition, not subjugation but relating, sharing. It brought out the best in men and the best in women. Women are different than men; not inferior, not better, just woman. Viva la differcnce; vivatheArmenian Woman. Name withheld upon request

conveys an idea about acceptance that is not often heard. Good work. Professor Arlene Voski Avakian Amherst, Massachusett s

all Diaspora institutions including the church. (This divide continues to date while the causal force - the soviet

What Renaissance? "Missing the Golden Years" by Minas Kojayan (Letters, July 2000) is grossly misleading. I do not know who M. Kojayan is, nor I am familiar with Arra Avakian's book which is the subject of his criticism. What I found most troubling is the characterization by M. Kojayan that "the years from November l920to September 1991" were the "Golden Years" of modem Armenian history

Armenian "national leaders".) The soviet politburo organized the 194648 repatriation of Armenians in pursuit of its geopolitical objectives, with the Armenians as its sacrificial pawn. Nearly 200,000 who repaffiated voluntarily for the love of their homeland were systematically humiliated and abused. Tens of thousands were sent to the Soviet gulags and Siberian taygas as "enemies of the people" or as "traitors of the sovi et motherland."

and that "the Armenian people's real renaissance took place in the soviet era." This is a colossal travesty that cannot hold up against the hard facts.

Seemingly an educator,

Kojayan

should have known that the doctrinal maxims

and the strategic objectives of the soviet regime were antithetical to foster national identities, cultures or interests of its constituent nationalities, estimated to be over 100. The ultimate objective of the soviet-

to build a new of "workers and peasants" i.e. the soviet motherland, with the

communist regime was homogenous society

was more than pleased when Hrair

"new" soviet man at its core, without carrying any national, cultural or religious heritage from the "bourgeois decadent" past. To

Sarkis Sarkissian called me and said that he was doing an article on Armenian gays and

implement this grand strategy the communist regime pursued a set of policies and practices

Profiles in Courage

lesbians. I was also struck by his intelligence, but years of having good feelings about an interview only to be disappointed has taught me to reserve judgment until I am able to read the article. My issue of AIM

came today and

went

to the

article

(Connections, July 2000) with some apprehension which I am very pleased to say was unwarranted. Smkissian wrote and you published a wonderfi,rl piece that both conveys the pain of

Armenian gays and lesbians and presents them as more than victims. The profiles are of real people, not stereotypes created to fit and image of who an Armenian gay or lesbian is. I particularly like his focus on the gay and lesbian Armenian organizations and their enor-

mous service to the community as well as being really honest about the potential for violence in some Armenian families when they discover that a family member is gay or

lesbian coupled with the possibilities for acceptance. You have done a real service not only to Armenian gays and lesbians, but to the community by raising the issue of sexuality in such a non-judgmental way. The AIM View

across the Soviet Union, the affects of which are seen by the world in Armenia today with shock and horror. Following are just a few highlights of some inefutable facts:

Spfuituality and centuries old religious monuments, which were integral toArmenian national identity for centuries were ridiculed, desecrated and demolished. Generations of writers, intellectuals and scientists were brutally exterminated. Armenian history literature and even the classical orthography were "sovietized" - distorted to glorify the communist ideology. The

policy: "National in form, socialistic in content" was enforced by strict censorship on all scholastic, literary and artistic work. People came to learn that hard and honest work are not the prerequisites for success in life. Cheating, steeling, bribing became the way of routine life. Generations grew up with no notion about the rule of law or individual rights. The rules were defined by the clar/mafia bosses and enforced by theft, bribes or guns. The soviet regime divided the Armenian

Diaspora into

two antagonistic

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

camps,

2OOO

which affected

- no longer exists, thanks to the selfserving and intellectually challenged

empire

This is only a snapshot of the evil that took place in Armenia during the soviet era. It will take decades and generations to undo this damage by reprogramming Armenia's genetic code at its core: to transform the present corrupt society into a civil society based on the rule of law and principles of democracy; to awaken people from 70 years of moral and spiritual comatose; to restore a value system reflective of Armenian national virtues. Of course it is the prerogative of Minas

Kojayan

to call this tragic reality

"the

Armenian people's real renaissance"or anything else he may wish. After all, absurdity is limited only by people's imagination: there are some who demand that Hifler be awarded the Nobel Peacehze posthumously, others insist that Stalin should be presented for sainthood.

Prof. Harut Barsarnian MissionVejo, Califumia

Fix theAirport and theAirlines For tourists to go to Armenia, they have to be able to get there Only those who haven't visited Armenia think of it as a gray, sad, third-world coun0y. Those who have discovered, experienced and enjoyed Armenia (in and out ofYerevan) come to know it as a developing country with pleasures long lost in the developed world (See page 31.) But to discover these values and pleasures, one must first get there. This means flying Armenian Airlines, Swissair, British Mediterranean Airways or Aeroflot. Swissair through Zurich is regular, comfortable and easy. But only because its representatives on the ground are con-

stantly negotiating and battling with Armenia's Civil Aviation to achieve their desired level of service. British Mediterranean, which flies into Yerevan from London via Tbilisi, has also its share of issues with the local authorities. Still, one can expect regular and pleasant service.

Aeroflot, whose service is often better than that of Armenian Airlines, flies in from many CIS capitals from Talinn to Ashkabad. Then there is Armenian Airlines which can't seem to get it right. Commercial routes (such as Istanbul-Yerevan) suddenly are sold and become charter flights only, not available on the computer screens of fravel agents around the world. A scheduled Amsterdam-Yerevan flight suddenly doesn't fly as scheduled, berause of myriad reasons either older type craft is being used despite European restrictions, or several bills haven't been paid.

What's a traveler to do? British Med's and Swissair's flights are available three days of the week. These are the only European carriers which fly into Yerevan, despite efforts by Austrian Air and others to establish service. Someone on the ground inYerevan isn't interested in seeing this happen. To fly on other days, one must rely on Armenian Airlines from Paris, Frankfurt, Athens orAmsterdam. To be fair, once on Armenian Airlines, service is decent, often even friendly. But there is no regularity and consistency, either in its service or its flights. Once on the ground in Yerevan, all carriers depend on the inefficient (read: excruciatingly slow) baggage handling system. Customs is sometimes very friendly and welcoming, other times bothersome and unreasonable. Immigration, which is able to provide a temporary visa on the spot, is never around. Again, someone on the ground doesn't have it right and isn't interested in figuring it out. As a result, travelers are unnecessarily annoyed at the two most important junctures of a trip: the beginning and the end. So, what's a traveler to do? Plan to go to Armenia, knowing that there will be adventure along the way. But the real adventure that awaits upon arrival is well worth it. And what's the govemment to do? Fix the airport and the airlines and they are fixable - once and for all. Or, allow outsiders to come in and do so. In other words, don't invite visitors if your house isn't in order.

The Diaspora is the Disaster Zone Preparing to mark another earthquake anniversary A dozen years have gone by and the great earthquake of 1988 which caused Armenia so much damage is still with us. Time does move slowly but this is shameful. The significant and continuous work done by individuals, institutions and some families in the Diaspora is not to be ignored or minimized. They're not the problem. The problem is the rest of the individuals, institutions or families who continue to call all of Armenia's northwest a disaster zone and do nothing organized, continuous and concerted to change the condition and the name. Aren't there at least 1,000 organizations, chapters or institutions in the Diaspora's various communities? There are probably more. There are over 250 in North America alone. And there aren't even 1,000 damaged buildings in the "DisasterZone." There are dozens of schools and residential buildings. And dozens more hospitals and civic buildings. What it would take to repair them is well within the capabilities

of these organizations. Not to do so is shameful. According to Armenia Fund, one residential building, with 16 apartments, in the city of Gumri would cost $51,300 to complete. Another would cost $72,817. In ttre city of Vanadsor, a school building for 783 students would cost $460,2104. Each of these are feasible, doable, and possible. The figures are within reach of an organization which appropriately plans its fundraising and chooses a project within realistic means. Too high for a community of only several hundred fam-

ilies? Plan the funding over a two-tlree year cycle. Make the commitment and bestow the potential beneficiaries with the hope that their precarious, tentative, shelterless situation will improve. Who actually carries out the construction? Armenia Fund has a proven track record of successful project completion in Karabakh and in the earthquake zone.

Armenia Fund, the quasi-govemmental agency which operates quite independently and efficiently in securing funding and carrying out the administration of specific projects is lauded for its successful completion of the highway built out of the mountains between Armenia and Karabakh (see Bytes p. 17 and trtters p. 9.) However, it's time to quit applauding and move on to assure the success of the remaining projects. The Fund, in Yerevan, and around the world seems to have lost the sense of urgency about the projects it sponsors. The lives and well-being of a couple of hundred thousand Armenians is directly affected by what the Fund, its committees and its supporters around the world do. Or, in this case, don't do. For all those communities where individual organizations have acknowledged their responsibility and taken on "Disaster Zone" related projects, the Fund can serve as administrator. But in all those places where people have no way to give and participate in the reconstuction so sorely needed in Gumri, Vanadsor, Spitak, Stepanavan and a hundred villages, the Fund is the major acknowledged agent of aid and assistance.

But where is the Fund today? What are the various Diaspora com-

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

mittees charged with carrying out the work of the Fund doing? Where is the promotion necessary to maintain the mornenturr in the Diaspora? With three months to go betbre Thanksgiving Day. the Arrlenia Fund Telethon, originating from Los Angeles, has yet to be featured in the rnedia. Where is the necessary publicity to mobilizc an international community? Last year's telethon broadcast trom Los Angeles to Yerevan and tiom Yerevan to Europe and the Middle East was little seen in many North American communities. Where is the understanding necessary to accomplish such a solemn and consequential mission?

If the Diaspora thinks that it can cleal with Republic. Earthquake and Karabakh in the same trifling, petty ways in which it

l.ras tackled the Diaspora's own political, religious and social issues, then Armenia and Diaspora are both heading fitr disaster. If, on the other hand, those who have succeeded in marking srnall (and not-so-snrall) successes are willing to corne tbrward and challenge the rest to jump in and embark on new challenges, then, therc's hope. Tl.rat's what's missing in Armenia, today - plannin-u and hope. If the Diaspora has anything to give. beyond advice, now rs the time. r

It's Called Art for a Reason Non-traditional media must be nurtured Vahe Bcrberian has turned the human body into canvas and Robert Barsamian uses his mother's lace as an element in his creations (See page 78.) Ani Kupelian sculpts with rretal. (AIM. Sept/Oct 1996) The nurnber o1'artists who utilize, recreate, inte-qrate, and adapt the themes and rlessages of the Armenian experience in their wor-k in innovative and unusual ways is on the rise. Some are filmmakers, others are sculptors, and sorne are old-school painters who are turning to new ways of cxpressing farniliar thernes. Alier all, the message isn't sirnple or sirnplistic. Whether the artist's feelings are those of alienation and displacenrent, or those of multiculturalisrn and global integration, the composite Annenian experience is layered. The stories are mixed. More and more, the fbrms of expression, the narratives. and the

rendedngs are becoming varied and cliversc. too. Maybe it's the age. Maybe it's that afiis1s are f'eeling comfbrtable experirnenting with and incorporating novel appnraches. Maybc it's that enough tirne has passed that audiences, too, can revel in and conteniplate new ways of looking at their own experiences. What isn't happening in literature is happening in the visual arts new explr-s\ion is bein-lr found for a new Diasporan in a new age. Now the challenge. Traditionally. art isn't among the top l0 cate-

or organizations in the - Armenia has always been more helptul. These new genres,

gories receiving suppofi fl'om individuals Diaspora

styles and fbrmats are goin-u to have a tougher tirne finding support fl'om old quarlers. The new Diasporan will have to make the diff'erence. r

[ljffiil0il$ n

$ll[$[Rlpil[]t il I [tilllffiY I Hrilrtlllil I rffilIHE

,,\INI 207 South Brand Blvd, Suite 203, Glendale, California 91204 USA

I Phone 818.246.7919 | Fax: 818.246.0088

1.88fi.$[il[.ilJr{ ilintilgililnB@il0l.ront AIM AI](}I1S'I'/SEPTEMRER

2OOO

trWhy should we give up the Armenian quarter?lr -Yasser

Arafat

Palestinian Authority President,

referring to lsraeli suggestions to divide the 0ld City of Jerusalem, which is made of the Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Moslem quarters

(l There are lires everywhere. starts uP.

Put one out, and another

KING 0F GEORGIA: Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze told Londons Daily Telegraph that he is contemplating on restoring Georgia's monarchy, which ruled the country for a thousand years until 1801. "l've thought about it and its very appealing," said Shevardnadze,T2. "lt is still early days, but the time for a king will come,"

-Dumitru Braghis Prime Minister of Moldova, the poorest country in Europe,

likened his job to running a lire brigade

(lOur main problem

is the economy.

Commission, all prospective candidates for the October presi-

rt -Serge Sargsian Defense Minister ol Armenia

([

TIME FOR EXAMS: By order of the countrys Central Electlon

What has become ol this nation [that they] leave their motherland, at great expense to them?r, -Alireza Ramezani Tehran Times, asks concerning the problem of

emigration ol lranians in the last two decades

dential elections in Kyrgyzstan have to take and pass a Kyrgyz language fluency exam before they are officially registered. The

test includes writing, reading and oral presentati0n in Kyrgyz. CHANGING FLAGS: Greco-Roman wrestler Armen Nazaryan, who was an 0lympic champion for Armenia in

.1996,

will now

compete for Bulgaria at the 2000 Games in Sydney. He is one

6I lt is obvious that the leadership which came to power with the help ol arms has failed to run the country and linds itsell in a political and ideological dead end. ,t

of the 95 athletes Bulgaria ls sending to Australia in September.

-National ldeology Party Georgian opposition party declaration

((

Karabakh is not only Azeri land, it belongs to every Turkic native in the world. r, -Young Nationalists of Turkey

I( ll the President comes to the people and explains

the

0ctober 27 case, I would be the lirst to welcome my president on my knees. !! -Emma Khudabashian Member of Parliament (People's Party)

Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner is a very beautilul and wise lady. Sometimes women can achieve more than men.

-Heidar Aliyev on how Austria can inluence Armenia over the

r<arabalr]Xllfi[,1$fiil13fi:

Armenia should expect nothing lrom Turkey before solving its problems with Azerbaijan. rr -Bulent Ecevit Prime Minister of Turkey

! hope Turkey is admitted to the European Union, so that they may linally have to admit the lArmenian] genocide'

-charles funavour international singer and Armenias ambassador to UNESC0

The EU is something lor which Turkey has to be

relormed and restructured lrom top to

bottom.ll -Mesut Yilmaz

former Prime Minister of Turkey and head of

331813, the first oil spouts in Baku fiom an automatic shall. During the next decade Baku grew to the leuel ol the world's wealthiest city, and Armenian and Tatar oil millionaires started to riual millionaires from Toxas,,. The Nobel brolhers, who arrived in Baku quite by accident in '1875, built their first refinery here a year later... The 'Black Gity' of Baku became one ol the msst hideous, Glowded, and rough corners ol the world. Tatars, Armenians, Percians, and Jews Greated, together uuith thc Russians, an ethnic mosaic which from time to time Bxploded in viotent massacres. 0uite a lew sil-riuh lields were giuen a$ presenls hy the, czar t0 various court favoriles. Speculation $ms unl8ashed, lortunes wer0 made frum one day ts the hext. Tha urrorld had never belore sesn anything like it, not even in " we$tgrn Pennsylvania. . r-Haryey S'Gon*or

i! ''

', :

Source: Rysard Kapuscinski lmperium, New York 1994

his countrys new EU Secretariat set up to promote Ankara's bid for membership

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

"Why should we take care of her, when she doesn't take care of herself?"

A ileuu Ena

$eptemben 1000

Democratically Elected Leaders of the Armenian Government Assume Office In September 1990, AIM wrote: Recently, history was made in Armenia. Not because the first non-Communist president was elected per se, but because he was elected democratically by a popularly chosen parliament. [,evon Ter Petrosian, 45, who had repariaEd to Amenia from Aleppo, Syria in 1946 atthe age of one, was elected by the 22O-memberArmenian Parliament, to become the President of the Presidium of the Armenian Supreme Soviet, defeating the Communist Party chief Madmir Movsisian. Ter-Pefosian captured 140 votes against Movsisian's 80 on the fourth ballot. Ter-Petrosian failed to gain the required I 30 votes on the first three ballots. During the last two months, for the first time in 70 years, Armenian people freely elected their representatives to the Republic's Supreme Soviet from a wide range of candidates representing a variety of political movements and organizations. The Armenian Parliament is composed of 260 members. Of that number, 22O were ele*ted during the elections of the past two months, thus completing the two-third presence for making constitutional changes. The remaining 40 members will be elected in the coming months. From the earliest days of Bolshevik Revolution, the Communist Party has played a major and guiding role in every aspect of Soviet life. It has operated on the principle of "democratic centralism," a new addition to the dictionary of oxymoran. This is not the case anymore. Decentralization is the order of the day, and the decline of the Communist Party's political power inArmenia is in no event expressed more glaringly ttran in Vladimir Movsisian's decision to declare his candidacy for the Presidency. The people have very little, if any faith in the willingness or the ability of the party apparatus to act as an insEument of the new reforms. On the other hand, Armenians have an overly-optimistic outlook and great hope that their destinies will be settled through the newly elected Parliament.

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

NOTEBOOK

Beautilul $istenhood resident and documentary filmmaker Dr. J. Mchael

Hagopian shortly after the 1988 Armenian earth-

quake which was centered

in Spitak. Since

then, the organization has raised over $70,000 to

rebuild an apartment building in Spitak, donar

ed various types of supplies, and sponsored exchange students. The school supplies project is the realization of the organization's current president, pianist and composerAlan Roubik. During his visit to Spitak last year, Roubik saw first-hand the students' difficulties. "The children are in desperate need of basic school supplies," Roubik told everyone when he came back. This project will also enable the Spitak srudents to correspond with Thousand Oaks stu-

In September 2000, students in nine Thousand Oaks, Califomia schools will begin collecting donated school supplies and filling them in donated back packs for 3,300 students of all nine of Spitak, Armenia's schools (above and below). This adopt-a-school program, initiated by the Thousand Oaks Sister City Committee to Spitak, Armenia, is being actively supported by the city's mayor, Dennis Gillette, and School Superintendent Dr. Jerry Gross.

The all-volunteer, non-profit organization is a member of Sister Cities International and was founded by Thousand Oaks

dents by e-mail, with computers that Roubik will be able to provide in

hopes this committee the near future.

Another goal of the Thousand Oaks Sister City Committee to Spitak, Armenia, is to build a new fire station in Spitak. The eisting station (above) had been severely damaged by the earthquake and is barely operable in its current

condition. Ventura County is currently building two state-of the-art fire stations in Thousand

Oaks, and has donated the blueprints to be used for the station in Spitak. The estimated cost of the Spitak station is $300,000. The cost of each of the identical stations in Thousand Oaks is $1.5 million. Ventura County has also donated fire-flghting equipment to be shipped with the school supplies in early 2001. !

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

NOTEBOOK

llappy Gumni

The city of Gumri should be celebrating is just about 160 years old this year. This northeastern Armenian town, a mile above sea level, was one ofthe oldest continually occupied sites in the territory of the former Soviet Union. Bronze and iron implements and jewelry dating to the l0th and I lth centuries BC have been excavated during the century and a half that Gumri has been an urban center. Located on the banks of the Akhurian river, the ancient settlement of Gumri or Gumairi, was known as Leninakan during most of the Soviet period, and as Alexandrapol for over a half century before that. It was named for the wife of Czar Nicolas I, whose visit in 1837 resulted in Gumri becoming a fortress-town. This was necessary to house and handle the Western Armenians who had migrated from Erzerum and Kars. Thus what was Armenia's second largest city during Soviet days,

was already an important westem outpost for the Russian Empire before that. Gumri was also a trade center and rail hub in the second half of the 19th century. By the beginning of the 20th century there were more than 430 stores and shops in a city that was also famous for its cultural life. The first-ever performance of the opera Anush took place here in 1912. Gumri's population rose yet again before 1920, and again because of migrations from Western Armenia. But this time, the newcomers were refugees and orphans who found shelter in a large orphanage, known as the Pentagon. Near East Relief missionaries cared for the orphanage and the needs of its hundreds of residents. The next time Gumri received world attention was in 1988, when the earthquake centered in neighboring Spitak did great damage to the city its population of 200,000. Since then, the American Red Cross, the Lincy Foundation, and Armenian charitable organizations have been helping rebuild the city, piecemeal. Jokes unique to the people of Gumri are still in ckculation, and the television programs called Happy Gumri in Yerevan and in [.os Angeles evoke a by-gone

era.

Photos

Birthdays & Anniversaries: The pedestrial mall in Gumri, today, photo by Max Sivaslian

Postscript (top to bottom): Spitak school yard, fire truck, classroom.

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

0unlllllllnU Fadllloil$ Catholicos Aram I Pilgrimage to kan Rejuvenates the Community, By SALPI HAR0UTII{IAN GHAZARIAII

he hanian Revolution, the hm-Iraq war and massive emigration may have affected the life and posperity of tlreArmenian cornrrunity of lran, but fiis July, several evenh served as evidence *rat the commuaity is far from secluded. Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, made an official visit to Iran and held meetings with government officials, including

Iran's President Mohammad Khatami. Included in the Catholicos's delegation were the trpo Armenian members of the Iranian parliament. The Catholicos presided over the dedication of the church at Dsor-Dsor, which the government had moved over a decade ago, in order for the church to escape the encroaching waters of a nearby dam. Moved several meters away, the small structure is now reinforced and safe. The govemment of the Islamic Republic has been particularly solicitous of Armenian religious sites, helping preserve and renovate several medieval buildings, including the St. Stcphanos Protomarqn Monastery, located near Julfa" about 480 miles northwest ofTehran. The Catholicos was present at a special ceremony in Tekan where veteran Armenian educators werehonored by the community and the Diocese of the Armenian Church. The Catholicos also participated in the pilgrimage to the St. Thadeus Monastery in

northern kan. Every year, the St. Thadeus

in the mountains, miles away from the nearest town, has received tens of thousands of pilgrims. The pilgrims camp under tents for several days, and children (of all ages) come to be baptized. This year, ttre pilgrimage was among those sponsored and organized Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church in New York on the occasion of the 1700th annivenary of the acceptance of Christianity as a state religion Monastery situated

in Armenia. As a result, visiton to tlie traditional July event included US, Canadian and other pilgrims. Armenia's Ambassador to Iran, Gegham Gharibjanian also received the

visitors.

AIM AUGUSTISEITTEMBSR

2OOO

Phslos, clsclffiss lrom top lert Aram Catholicos visits with Presid*nt Khatami; Pilgri,ms ai the St. Thadeus Monastery lor annual pilgrima$e' Catholicssr,Anm I greets the laithful; (eenter: St. Thadeus Monastery, eloso, up; TheDsgt,Ssot,church used torb6 where the concrete slab now is, near the dam; Dsor-Dsor church safely moved to a hilltop above the dam; St. Slephanos Monastery being,refiivated and retrolitted with help {rom the lranian government. Pilgrimage photos by Armen Aroyan.

Ai8{.,auGUsrls0rffiBlsEn

2000

George Robertson. Kleiber held talks with President Robert Kocharian, Defense Minister Serge Sargsian and other high rankingArmenian officials. Armenia-NAT0 cooperation under the bilateral Partrer-ship for Peace agreement and participation of Armenian troops in intemational peacekeeping operations were the focus of discussions. Kleiber also expressed optimism over recent developments toward the resolution of the Karabakh conflict. While NAT0 does have a specific position toward the Caucasus, Kleiber said the muti-national military organization is ready to provide assistance for confidence building in the region. At the conclusion of his visit, Kleiber sai( "I am retuming to Brussels with a sense of understanding that Armenia is doing its best to establish peace and settle conflicts in the region."

However, Armenia did not think that Turkey was doing enough towards the same

end.

Foreign Ministry

spokesperson,

Vaham Gabrielian, stated that Ankara's continuing refusal to normalize diplomatic relations withArmenia is a serious impediment to the development of Armenia's relations with

Pnime Ministen Uisits Belanus Prime MinisterAndranik Margarian (above) made an official two-day visit to Minsk in mid-

July. Margarian met with high ranking Belarus officials, including President Alexander Lukshenko, as well as businessmen, and members

the Armenian community.

0$GE

in Anmenia

phone

with Karabakh President

Ghukasian who was

Arkady

Stepanakert. During

the Chairwoman's visit, she presided over the

official opening

of the OSCE office

Yerevan, headed by Ambassador

in Roy Reeve.

Armenia's Ambassador to the OSCE, Jivan Tabibian, accompanied Ferrero-Waldner during her visit. Armenia used the opportunity to release Azerbaijani prisoners-of-war, as a sign of good will. She accompanied the released prisoners to Baku on the next leg of her working visit in the region.

Mf0{nmenia Relations

A tlleuu Footing

NAIO. "Turkey's

non-constructive and

biased attitude toward Armenia, and its economic blockade, adversely affects Armenian public opinion on NAIO, which in turn does not contribute to the establishment of a real partnership between Armenia and NAIO." Gabrielian explained that Turkey continues to be regarded as a country which threatens Armenia's security.

"Armenia's military-strategic relationships are not confined to Russia, and we are seriously intent on complementing and deep-

ening our partnership with NAIO," Gabrielian continued. As US attempts to mediate in the normalization of ArmeniaTirkish relations have not been fruiffirl so far, Armenian authorities expect the Alliance to play a more active role in this direction.

Militany Coopenation Iliscussed with Bussia, Egypt, and United $tatc$ Defense Minister Serge Sargsian met with Major General Nikolay Zolotov, the

President Robert Kocharian received a delegation headed by Benita Ferrero-Waldner (above). Ferrero-Waldner, as Foreign Minister of Austria, is the acting chairwoman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe whose rotating chairmanship Austria holds this year. She met with the prime minister, deputy speaker of the parliament, had a working lunch and meetings with the Foreign Minister, and a private conversation by tele-

NATO Deputy Secrerary{eneral for Political Issues, Klaus Peter Kleiber (above left, with President Robert Kocharian), paid a working visit to Yerevan in preparation for the September

newly appointed commander of the Russian troops in the Transcaucasus. The two discussed bilateral military, strategic and technical cooperation. In early August, Sargsian met with a visiting Egyptian military delegation. They explored a more active development of Armenian-Egyptian relations, especially in the military and political spheres, as

visit to Armenia of NATO General-Secretary

well

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

as regional security and other military

issues. Following a highly visible visit to Moscow in late July, Sargsian paid an official two-day visit to Washington, DC, the first by an Armenian defense minister, and held talks with his US counterpart William Cohen as well as other high ranking US mil-

Ulrainian intellectuals and businessmen. The delegation was invited by the Mayor of Yerevan to discuss the terms of implementation of a 1995 agreement between the two cities.

itary officials. As a result of the visit, Washington will provide $300,000 worth of

Anmenlel $aga GontinuCs

US equipment to Armenia and assist in the improvement of border and customs con-

Deputy Minister Vulgaris Alexandros (beloq

trols. A bilateral agreement was also signed on limiting the spread of weapons of mass destruction. According to Sargsian, further

US-Armenian cooperation

Greek Post and Telecommunications greeted

President Robert Kocharian),

Armenia's membership in the World Trade Organization. These issues are sure to be on the agenda when President Kocharian visits Greece in November.

Geiman ltlational IneasunGs Retunned Armenia returned

Germany

some

Armenian Justice Minister David Harutiunian, and Greek state-owned Hellenic Telecommu-

18,000 manuscripts, valuable books, musical scores and artifacts stolen by the Soviet Army shortly after World War tr and brought to

nications Organization (OTE) Chairman

Armenia via Moscow.

in the military

sphere is expected after the resolution of the

Karabakh conflict.

U$ IlonatG$ Gommodity Armenia and the US signed an agreement inWashington, DC, whereby the USAgriculture Department will donate 60,000 tons of wheat to Armenia this year, as part of Washington's aid to Armenia for the fiscal year 2000. The donated wheat will be sold in Armenia's local market by Armenia's Ministry of Finance and Economy and the proceeds will be used to provide support to Armenian farmers and to improve the country's agricultural sector.

Tlvo shipments are expected to arrive in Armenia in October and November.

Iliilomatic Pontlolio

Algeria's Ambassador to Armenia Ammar Mahlufi (resident in Moscow), met with President Robert Kocharian in Yerevan and discussed bilateral relations and possibil-

ities of mutual visits to determine specific areas ofcooperation.

Armenia's Ambassador to Lebanon Arman Navasardian met with Lebanese President General Emil Lahoud and discussed Armenian-Lebanese relations, as well as

regional and intemational developments.

US Ambassador to Armenia Michael Lemmon and embassy officials met with Prime Minister Andranik Margarian and discussed the activities of the US-Armenia Task Force following the newly formed body's first meeting in Washington, DC. UNICEF's Armenia Delegation Officerin-Charge Gloria Fernanda met with President Robert Kocharian to brief him on UNICEF's progftlms in Armenia and the upcoming visit to Yerevan of UNICEF's top official. Prime Minister Margarian met with a del-

egation from Ukraine, led by Mayor of Odessa, Ruslan Bodelan, which included Odessa Municipality officials, city legislators,

Nicos Manasis signed an agreement in Yerevan pledging to end the ongoing dispute between OTE-owned ArmenTel, Armenia's monopoly telecom, and the government without resorting to legal proceedings.

At the cen-

ter of the dispute is OTE's failure to meet its promised investment levels in Armenia's telecom sector and rising phone tariffs. Under the purchase agreement, OTE was to invest $100

million in Armenia's communications network by March 1999. However, only about one third of that amount has been invested so far. The new agreement could also result in renegotiating the terms of OTE's 1998 pur-

chase agreement, especially its 15-year monopoly of all forms of telecommunication in the country, which is an obstacle to AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

In 1998 Armenia returned similar war booty to Germany, including 575 manuscripts and artifacts. German Culture Minister Michael Naumann praised theArmenian govemment's good will and kind gesture and hoped that other items still held in Armenia will be returned soon. [n February, Naumann, speaking the International Conference on the Holocaust in Stockholm, stated, "On May ?4,1915, Britain, France and Russia described the genocide

committed against Armenians

'new

crimes of Turkey against humanity and civilization' and demanded that the Turks be called to account." In the last five years Germany has provided some $190 million in assistance to Armenia including donations through the European Union.

cials estimated the damage at about $52 million. Some 75 percent of crops in Georgia are destroyed. Likewise, river and reservoir water levels have declined dramatically, which is expected to lead to water rationing in cities in the coming months.

another development, Minister of

Environment Eduard Madatian stated that the

level of Armenia's largest water reservoir, Lake Sevan, has decreased by four centimeters compared with last year. Years of Soviet mismanagement have caused substantial damage to the mountainous lake located two kilometers above sea level. In recent years, the govemment has instituted measures to decrease the volume of water outflow from the lake for irrigation and energy. Still, the problem is not under control.

How Many Mone Political Panties?

llnought llestnoys Cnop and Liuelihood Armenia's agricultural sector was hit by a severe drought due

to unusually hot weather

just as farmers were trying to recover from the damages caused by frosts in June. While the entire country has been affected, the drought has been most acute in theAragatsotn Marz, especially the Aragats and Verin Talin districts, where some 5,fi)0 hectares of grain corps have been'destroyed and 10,000 hectares of farm land dried out. An estimated 70 percent of grain, fodder crops and vegetables have been destroyed around the country. In the most fertile Ararat valley, river levels have dropped by almost 60 percent due to lack of rain. Widespread water shortages were

reported throughout Armenia's trative Districts.

l0 Adminis-

Meteorologist Gennady Kodoian said, "Such a long period of hot weather has not been recorded in the last 130 years."

The government estimated that

the drought caused over $45 million in damage to the country's agriculture sector and warned of long-term consequences. It appealed to the

UN's World Food Program and the World Agricultural Organization for assistance. The scorching high temperatures affected Yerevan's Zvartnots Airport as well and aircraft were temporarily grounded. Neighboring Georgia and Iran were also hit by the disastrous drought. Georgian offi-

Armenia's Justice Ministry said, as of July of this year, there are 92 political parties registered in Armenia. The newest is the Stability Party formed by the eponymous bloc in the National Assembly and headed by Vardan Ayvazian. Still, there are new applications for registration being processed. There are also some 2,300 public and non-

govemmental organizations registered with the Ministry.

Tax Gollecton$: Watch

llut

As part of the effort to fight comrption among government employees, the Ministry of State Revenues set up a telephone hotline so businesses and taxpayers could call the authorities to report violations committed by tax and customs personnel.

ARF

lleputy3

Mandate ualidated Armenia's Constitutional Court and the

Central Electoral Commission (CEC) affirmed Kim Balayan's election to the National Assembly, bringing to an end the

disputed single mandate by-election in Yerevan's Arabkir district. The court ruled that Balayan was not responsible for the alleged irregularities reported by his opponent A lawyer by profession and a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), Balayan joined his party's nine-member parliamentary bloc. In anther development, the CEC officially registered ARF's Ruben Hovsepian as a deputy of the

Yeghia Shamshian.

National Assembly

place

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

Ruben

2OOO

Hakobian who was appointed Armenia's Consul General to St. Petersburg, Russia.

Final Fanewell to a Beloued Eenenal Armenia's military lost one of its longest

serving and dedicated soldiers. Deputy

of Defense, Lieutenant-General Anatoly Zinevich, passed away at the age of 68. Educated and trained in top Soviet military institutions, the Ukraine-bom general played Minister

an important role in the formation of

Armenia's national army. Starting in 1992, Zinevich held a number of high positions, including advisor to the Defense Minister and First Deputy to (and later, head of) the General Staff. He was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense in 1997 . President Robert Kocharian, Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, Defense Minister Serge Sargsian and top Armenian officials attended Zinevich funeral.

$oldiens'Family Goncenns Brought to Gouennment Attention of

Presidential Chief Staff Artashes Tumanian met with representatives of Soldier and Right Organization (SRO) at the presidential palace following weeks of protest by parents of soldiers who have died while serving in the army in peacetime. SocialWelfare Minister Razmik Martirosian, Military Prosecutor Gagik Jahangirian and officials from

the

Ministries of Justice and Defense aftended the meeting. SRO asked the govemment representatives for an impartial investigation of crimes

in the military and punishment of the guilty; institution of measures to prevent comrption and extortion; and better social benefis for the families of deceased soldiers. SRO chairman Ara Hovhanissian expressed satisfaction after the meeting and said the

Military Prosecutor was instructed to

review a number of questionable investigations of criminal cases. Chief of Staff Tumanian assured the SRO representatives that the President's Oflice will look into the above-mentioned problems and will discuss them at a highJevel government meeting.

Ihind Repuilic's Binthday Armenia's Parliament celebrated its 10th anniversary in August (opposite page, above). OnAugust 23,1990, the post-Soviet Supreme Council of the Republic of Armenia, later renamed the National Assembly "expressing

the united

will of the Armenian people,"

"Armenia" store in the vicinity of the metro station but was defused by the Russian Federal Security Service.

Bemem[Gring thc Patnons

declared "the beginning of the process of establishing [Armenia's] independent statehood." Levon Ter Petrossian was elected

Catlrolicos Karekin II presided over a service commemorating the benefactorAlex Manoogian, at ttre St. Lusavorich Cattredral (below), being build in central Yerevan. The family of Alex Manoogian is a major donor towards the consftuction of the cathedral which will be the largest inArmenia and the only one which will be able to accommodate a large number of worshippers.

lllum[en ol Political Panties in Anmenia YEAR 2000 1sg9 199B

1997

Numten ol Public 0nganization$ in Anmenia YEf,H

2OOO

1999

1g9B

President of the Parliament's Presidium - the first non-Communist. The National Assembly then consisted of 260 members (see A Decade Ago in AIM, page 15.)

Ilamage Repained at National AssemUy Following the completion

criminal

investigations, the traces of the October 27 shootings in the National Assembly building have been cleared and repaired at a cost of $76,000. Bullet holes on the walls of the assembly hall are filled and painted, new checkpoints constructed and metal detectors installed at the entrance to the building in preparation for the

ll-member Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation summit, scheduled

take place

Yerevan in

November. Currently, Armenia holds the sixmonth rotating presidency of BSEC.

Ready and

flile

Nearly four months to the day that would-

assassins

shot and wounded him,

Karabakh's President Arkady Ghukasian (right)

retumed to his office, albeit with crutches. Ghukasian, who had recuperated in Yerevan for several months following the March incident, had returned to Stepanakert in June, and showed up at the Presidential building in July, ready to climb some stairs.

Wounded in Moscouu Explosion Two citizens ofArmenia, Eduard Kocharian and MarinaYazychian, were among dozens of

injured victims

a bomb exploded

in an underground walkway

central Moscow when E

to the Pushkin Square metro. Seven of the victims were seriously. Subsequently, anotlrcrexplosive device was found near the AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which will invest up to $20 million; five percent to other investors; and four percent to plant employees. The government

retain 20 percent

of the shares.

will

President

Robert Kocharian signed the privatization bill on August 12. So far tenders have been presented by the US AES company, the Swiss-

Swedish ABB, the French Electiricte de France, and the Spanish Union Fenosa.

secuniiiii$" tCw Hatilicd;' Gommission Appointed President Robert Kocharian signed a bill "On Regulation of the Securities Markef' passed by the National Assembly in early July. The new law is designed to regulate transactions on the securities market and sets

out procedures for the issuing, distribution,

the country. Meanwhile, former Nairit executive director, Gagik Nersisian, went on trial for allegedly causing about $5 million damage to

Bnislr Gnouuth in the Jeuuelny $ecton try

Armenia's most lucrative jewelry induscontinues to show strong production

growth with high employment rates. During the first five months of this year, diamonds and jewelry products accounted for 45.4 percent of Armenia's exports. In recent years, one ofthe large factories, the Yerevan Jewelry Factory, equipped with most modem technologies, has expanded operations and set up subsidiary workshops Charentsavan,

Gyumri, Meghri, Talin, Spitak, Vaik,

and

Vanadzor, as well as in Stepanakert and Shushi in Karabakh. Company output has registered some three-fold growth within only

one year. The products are sold

in the

Mideast, Russia, Europe and the US.

Gnouuth in

Industiy and

Employment During the first six months of this year, overall industrial output in Armenia increased by 22percentin comparison with last year and exports increased by 21 percent (about $7.3 million). Indusffry and Trade Minister Ashot Shahnazarian stated that this year employment in the industrial sector has risen by 8,000 compared with 1999 to a total of 34,000 jobs in the sector. He attributed the growth to the rehabilitation of several sectors, such as Armenia's chemical and mining plants and the reactivation of Nairit, the largest chemical factory in

the enterprise due to mismanagement

and

abuse of power.

and sale of securities in Armenia. The new law stipulates that the President appoint a fi ve-member Securities Market Commission, whose chairman will have a five-year mandate. The other four members will serve from one to four years each.

Banks Post Assets lncnease

Tax Gollection lmpnoues Although more taxes were collected than targeted in July, Prime Minister Andranik Markarian asked the Tax Ministry to reach a target of 15 percent a month for the rest of the year in order to meet the $320 million goal for 2000. However, in the first seven months of

this year, less tax has been collected than expected - only 42.2 percent (about $156

million) of the annual target has been achieved. Markarian also stated that measures are being taken to crack down on comrption in the process of tax collection. As a step in this direction, the government has established a telephone hotline for businesses and taxpayers to report cases of comrption and mismanagement by state employees.

Enen0y Netwonlr

Pnivatization lppnoued After months of political bickering,

the

National Assembly approved (63-38) a bill to privatize four electricity grids: the Yerevan, Central, Northern, and Southem electric networks, which serve some 750,000 customers. Fifty-one percent of the shares in the four energy networks will be sold to investors with strategic plans; 20 percent to the European

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

Armenia's 31 banks posted a 10.2 percent of aggregate assets in the first quarter of this year, reaching $422 million, according

increase

to figures released by the Central Bank (above),

which also reported that 18 banks were profitable, 13 posted losses and one is in the process of liquidation. As of June, the total capital of the 31 banks was $63 million, which includes a 2.9 percent growth in the first quarter. While banks invest mostly in state ffeasury bills, about a fifth of their credit portfolios, short-term govemment securities yields fell from over45 to about 26 percent in the first seven months ofthis year.

The banks' commercial lending increased considerably in the second half of this year showing signs of growth in Armenia's economy. Bank deposits by private and state-owned businesses increased by l7

percent to $80 million. However, economists observe that the country's banking sector is

still unable to play a signif,cant role in Armenia's long term economic recovery due namely to the existence of a large shadow economy and public mistrust in local financial

liters (up 26 percent) were sold in the local Armenian market. Over all, YBC will sell 1.2 million liters of brandy in 2000 compared to 1.018 million liters last year.

institutions.

Iunkish Gompany lntenested In lextile

Bnandy Plant to BG $old

Factony

lndustnial 0iitprit in January-June 2000 Compared with same period last year

ldfism+10.8% Itollp +10.8%

+10.8% Tfldstil +0.0% I Hssia

Corporate officials of Netex, a prominent Turkish company with a large consumer base in Europe, held talks with Armenian officials on the possibility of buying the state-owned

Gyumri Textile Factory, one of the largest textile factories in Armenia. Netex proposed to rehabilitate the factory and invest one mil-

lion dollars in the first year, creating

about

300 jobs. Up to two million dollars will be invested in total. Minister of Industry and Trade Ashot Shahnazarian said it is likely that the government would sell lfi) percent of the shares in the currently idle company to Netex.

-I I BGmtlr +5.8% I lzenWm +4,1% I I lUloHova +8.8 % l0ngEsm +3.8 % I AHndIa +2.0 % I Ectrtfl +0.1 % lltelhtan +8.2 %

Source: CIS Interstate Statistics Committee.

The Armenian government talked with representatives of Yerpitvinkontser, an Armenian-Russian company registered in Armenia, about the sale of the state-owned

Ararat brandy and wine plant

St. Petersburg, Russia. The plant is expected to be sold for about $300,000 with the stipula-

tion that the company buy 2,000 tons of grapes from Armenia annually. The St. Petersburg plant is the focus of a trademark dispute between the Armenian govemment and the French owners ofthe Yerevan Brandy Company (YBC). YBC president Pierre Larretche has repeatedly complained that rival state-owned companies are using its fademark names, including Ararat, causing considerable financial damage to YBC.

During a recent visit

to St. Petersburg,

Lanetche "found convincing evidence" that the rival distilleries are still producing brandy under its trademark names despite government assurances to the contrary. YBC has threatened not to buy grapes from Armenian farmers this year if the dispute is not resolved.

Meanwhile, YBC posted a 107 Percent increase of sales in the first half of this year compared with same period last year. The company sold 627,7fi) liters of brandy from January to June; 88 percent was exported (compared to 80 percent last year) Russia accounting for more than 70 percent; 75,957 AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

Georgia in August and close one of its four bases by mid-2001. There are an esti-

military

mated 5,000 Russian troops stationed in Georgia. The US government offered $10 million for the project and Great Britain proposed to create an international fund, under the aegis of the OSCE. The British government pledged an initial 100,000 pounds for the project.

Iiinlddh tlrtiiitany Assistance to lzen[allan The Turkish Navy delivered a coastal security vessel, a TCG AB-34 huntier ship, to the Naval Forces of Azerbaijan. Earlier this

year, the Turkish Navy held a one-month training in Turkey for 28 Azerbaijani officers who would operate the vessel. A similar ship was also delivered to Northern Cyprus. (In late July, an Azerbaijani parliamentary delega-

tion participated in "Freedom Day" celebrations in Turkish-controlled Northern Cyprus). Earlier, Turkey's Commander of Land Forces, General Atilla Ates, paid a two-day offtcial visit to Baku. His talks with Azerbaijani Defense Minister SeferAbiyev and high-ranking military officials focused on the modernization of Azerbaijan's Armed Forces.

Pouenty in lzen[a]ian Ilespite llil Riches

While official Azerbaijani govemment

sources put the number

of the unemployed in

the country at 41,600, the Trade Unions

:!lf,.li:i!;3ijr,

.,,.i:r,::..l,.:,.,

cient ways to spend military budget alloca-

MdiC Goodies lon Geongia's Militany The Georgian government concluded several wide-ranging military cooperation and assistance agreements with a number of countries and multinational organizations.

Among them, Bulgaria will provide the Georgian naly with two landing crafts and Estonia will train Georgian military personnel. (Bulgaria also signed an agreement with

Turkey to boost bilateral military relations). Talks were held in Tbilisi wittr an Israeli Defense Company for future military cooperation and Israeli assistance to the Georgian army. Meanwhile, the Council of Europe allocated over one million dollars for equipment

for Georgia's border guards and NATO experts are preparing a proposal for more

effi-

tions and for combat readiness of the Georgian army in conformity with NATO standards. Recently, President Eduard Shevardnadze declared that his country is aiming to become a full member of NAIO in 2005. Georgian servicemen already take part

in NATO-sponsored programs. This year they have participated in nearly 100 large-scale joint maneuvers, computerized and special training, and exercises. In September, Tbilisi will be sending its first envoy to NAIO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe

(SHAPE) in Belgium. In late July, Russian and US foreign ministry officials meeting in Moscow discussed the political, financial and logistical details of the planned withdrawal of Russian military troops and hardware stationed in Georgia. Russia agreed to start pulling its forces out of AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

Confederation ofAzerbaijan put the number at over 1.2 million, about 15 percent of the population. Other sources say "one-third of the able-bodied population is looking forjobs." Meanwhile, there are some 1.2 millionpensioners in Azerbaijan, who receive an average of $14 amonth. The minimummonthly subsistence level in the country is estimated at $90. During the first six months of this year the average salary in Azerbaijan was $45.5 (203,300 manats), approximately a 15 percent increase over last year.

Even as President Heidar Atiyev had referred to a $700 million cushion in revenues, Azerbaijan Bulletin's Ali Masimo repeated, 'Azerbaijan and the majority of its population that have very great potential are living in poverty and appalling conditions." Necessary sffuctural reforms in Azertaijan, especially in the state sector, continue to be very slow. The World Bank representative for Azerbaijan, Judy O'Connor, stated that "If things in Azerbaijan develop this slowly, the World Bank's budget to support Azerbaijan

may be less than $100 million for three flscal

years," instead of a possible $300 million. O'Connor added, "Following the rise in oil prices, the Azerbaijani government does not necessary to accumulate these consider funds in the state budget. With the increase in revenue, the state sector needs even more to be restructured."

lnan $hottus Might Iran test-flred a medium-range missile, the Shahab-3, as part of the govemment's efforts to "strengthen its defense capability on the basis of the principle of deterrence," said an kanian military source, adding the test "would in no way threaten other countries." The 800 mile-range (1,300 km) ballistic missile, which can travel at a speed of 4,320 mph, is capable of hitting targets in the Middle East. The US and Israel expressed concem over the risk of military escalation in the region, while a Turkish Foreign Ministry official said they are closely following these developments.

Mounting Goncenn$ 0uen Panliamentary Elections in Azenhalian As Azerbaijan prepares for parliamentary elections in November, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) announced that the new election law passed by parliament on July 5 "contains serious shortcomings." Of special concern is the law's provision that "political parties [have] to be registered six months in advance of the day elections are announced," which, in effect, eliminates not just new parties, but also certain parties which had already registered before the law was passed, but not as early as six months earlier. Former parliament speaker Rasul Guliyev's Azerbaijan Democratic Party is one

100 to 25 to 75 and now 50. For months, local

opposition parties have been expressing dissatisfaction with the new law. In a joint statement, 16 opposition parties threatened to boycott the elections if the law is not amended in

conformity with ODIHR recommendations. "With [the current] law, Azerbaijan loses

hope for democratic elections in 2000," said

former ruling Popular Front's Ali Kerimov, adding that the new law "allows the govemment to falsify the results."

Ihe 0then AUB Glosed, Ion

Nouu

of Justice and Education provided no explanation when they suddenly announced the closure of the Azerbaijan's Ministries

American University

President Eduard Shevardnadze hired former Polish Deputy Premier and Finance Minister

Leszek Balcerowicz as his advisor for the country's badly needed economic reforms. It is hoped that Poland's successful economic transition would provide a useful model for Georgia. The US will provide financial assistance for this purpose.

Baku (AUB) by

revoking its five-year license issued in 1999. Faculty members (among them, professors from the US) as well as students and parents were astonished by the abrupt decision and have launched a campaign to reverse the "unfair and illegal" decree. University officials have appealed to President Heidar Aliyev for his mediation in the matter' AssaIrada news agency reported that the decision to close the university was hailed by "those who disapprove of Azerbaijan's pro-western and pro-American policY trends'"

mr$GutsBffitrttf*r Economic Relonms Needed

Gountening U$ influence in Gentnal Asia

The heads of state ofthe "Shanghai Five" Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - held a summit in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, to discuss regional security issues

and cooperation, especially regarding separatism and religious extremism. Uzbekistan, which faces similar problems, participated in the summit as an observer. The five-member "club" was set up in 1996 in Shanghai, China, to balance growing US influence in Central Asia.

In a joint declaration at the conclusion of the Dushanbe summit, the leaders pledged to "make every effort to tum the Shanghai Five into a regional structure of multilateral cooperation in various sectors," and to "welcome participation of other interested countries in the specific programs and cooperation projects of the 'Five' on an interstate as well as on other levels." On the sidelines of the summit, Russian

of those excluded. Guliyev is charged with

President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin held bilateral talks'

embezzlement and lives in the US. While visiting Baku, OSCE acting chairwoman, Austrian Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner said, "We are sorry that the new law contains serious faults." However,

"Most importantly, a backwards step

Seven months into the fiscal year, Georgia's parliament approved cuts in the country's 2000 budget in order for Tbilisi to qualify for new IMF credits. The intemational financial instihrtion had announced earlier that without cuts in the budget cash-strapped Georgia would not qualify for new loans. The cuts would affect adminisfiative and ministerial expenses rather than direly needed social programs. In an effort to stabilize the economy,

especially concerning the proposed US missile defense system and its effects on the global balance of power. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said, "Today the [key] question is, without doubt, maintaining strategic sta-

was

taken since one of the parties cannot participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections." The US State Department expressed similar concerns and urged the Azerbaijani govemment and the parliament "to bring the law

bility and not violating the ABM (AntiBallistic Missile) treaty of 19721' addingthat Russian and Chinese positions on the issue "are the same." In another development, Presidents Putin and Askar Akaev signed in Moscow a declaration on Eternal Friendship between Russia and Kyrgyzstan and an economic cooperation program for the next l0 years.

into conformity with international standards and narrow the existing differences."

Another contentious issue in the new law is the allocation of majoritarian and proportional seats, which has been changed from AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

Democratic National Convention, a group of Armenian Americans announced the formation of Armenpac - Armenian American Political Action Committee. This bipartisan group includes prominent individuals such as Sarkis Kechejian, Annie Totah, Edgar Hagopian and Noubar Afeyan, who are politically active and consistently involved in promoting Armenian issues.

A Henob Bunial

Re-interring historic figures is not just limited to Armenia. This summer, in a special ceremony, Reverend Dikran Antreassian, a hero of the Armenian resistance in Musa Dagh, and an evangelical minister, received a hero's bur-

Mkhitarian monastic congregations have great-

Mkhitanians Menge Aftercenturies of qplit, the Mkhitarian Orders in Venice (top) and Venna (above) merged into

one entity. The historic uniflcation carne on ofthe 300th anniversary ofthe Order which pledges allegiance to the Vatican. The Order would henceforth be led under one lead-

ly contributed to the development and preservation of Armenian religious and cultural heritage through vigorous scholarship, thousands of publications and educational institutions.

the heals

ership headquarter at tlre St. Lazzaro Monastery

in Venice, Italy. Father Yeghia Kilaghbian was elected

Anmenpac Fonmed Armenian involvement in the US political process is developing beyond the activism

Chief

Abbot of the united Order. Established in the earlylSth century the

the two main organizations in Washington, DC. Immediately following the Republican National Convention and just before the AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

ial. The Armenian Missionary Association of America found that Anjar, the Armenian-populated town outside Beirut, t ebanon, was a more fltting place forAntreassian than a cemetery in Beirut. Therefore, following the Annual Assembly of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, a reintemment ceremony was held, attended by hundreds from Lebanon's Armenian cofllmunities, as well as political and religious leaders from throughout lrbanon. They remembered Reverend Antreassian's role in gathering up the people of Musa Dagh and resisting the Turkish onslaught for 40 days, until their rescue by French warships.

State Senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat. Both are courting ttre Armenian vote, and Armenians are giving both of them some hope. The Armenian Democratic Liberal Organization and ttre Armenian Council ofAmerica-PAC are supporting Rogan who proudly announces that his only out-of-country trip has been to Armenia and Karabakh in 1999. Schiff has received

from the Armenian National the Armenian American and Committee

endorsements

Democratic Lradership Council and has himself helped "endorse" the work of ttre Armenian Film Foundation by facilitating state funds for a series of documentaries on the testimonies of genocide survivors.

Haigazian Students Uolunteen to Glean UP Ihe Beach at $idon

Beirut's Haigazian University kept its doors open through much of the last several decades, despite the difficult political and social conditions within the country. The University has always said this is due to its

A Joint Political Effont During the Democratic National Convention the Armenian Assembly of America

and the Armenian National Committee of America hosted a reception in Los Angeles for political and govemment officials who have been supportive of Armenian issues.

gressional race

for Califomia's 27th district

Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena

is consistently

labeled the hottest race in the counffy. Incumbent Congressman James Rogan, a

Republican, is being challenged by Califomia

commitment to the future of Lebanon. The students have found a new way to demonstrate this commitment. A group of them volunteered to clean up the beach at Sidon (below), struggling together with municipal workers to decrease the amount of trash being washed ashore and ruining one of Lebanon's most famous tourism sites,

Leading the presentations was Congressman

Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who co-chairs the Armenian Issues Caucus in the US House of Representatives. Also present were

Representatives Xavier Becerra (D-CA' above, left), Rush Holt (D-NJ, above, right), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Grace Napolitano (D-CA) and Brad Sherman (D-CA), as well as members of several state houses. For the first time, such a gathering featured a large number of Armenians who are professionally involved in various political campaigns.

Election Gandidates Gount the $outhenn Galilonnia GommunitY The November presidential elections in the US are attracting attention for reasons which go beyond the candidacies of Vice President Al Gore and Govemor George W. Bush. The conAIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

New lleailquerlers

G_Ex[ndedE -I TETUIEES ThaveI Services Worldwide Gonvenience and Assurance American Express@ Travelers Gheques

Representative

American Express@ Gift Certificates o Low Airfares Worldwide Gruise and Tours for Every Budget

Business Travel Planning

0ver

1700 Locations

Worldwide

Cardmember Services

tu, ' \A

=r$

\C/l

ffir$$ ;HBUO}]TRAUEI tos II{EELES I IEREUAN I TBrtISr New Private Headquarters 1

132 North Brand Boulevard

lendale California 91202 o Phone

8.552.7700 o Fax 818.55 2.1701 o Email amex@levontravel.com

8011.1t15.5966 www.levontravel.com

Off the Beaten Path

By Parik Nazarian ll ot tlrc.rrc.r srLntr-intlin!. I-ilic Str.rn t.rlls into rhc Geglr.rrliunili Dirtrict. onc ot-Arnreni.r's 10 arlr.ninislrtir-c regions cre.rred in 1996. The clistrict. l'hose

populltion

280.000. strerch-

es ,tcros\ -510 sclLrrrc liilontcte ri. Accorcling to the cl ist rict .govrr nr or. \':rh,rg:r H.rliob i.rn, sonrc .10.0(X) r.ctirsccs tionr R.rliLL ,tncl

Sunrg,.rit live

in lrir

rlr-rrr.rtt. u.lrich lr.rs rlrc

district. rrliectirrg tlrc ljvcs of'.rlnrost

rts 87 villrrses ;incl toq'ns. 'l-lrc r.rrncs

.tl1

of'thc to\vl)s itttest to the ch.tnlling tbrttutes ot tltc rre.r. Many TLrl<ish n.'r1res \\.erc gir-en br" inr.rclers who tllllled the region into srrziur: lrrncl

lbr

the

sonre o{-thc

,{fier indepcnderrce. n.uncs lr.rr.c Lrccn

.rninr:rls,

oldo

,l,,tttp,,1 lr) r( \\i

r'.

.\ttp. trt,pr r,.1, ,..

It is rro u,rtrrtlcr t]t.tl

.ttrirLrltLnr, il)()r.1t().

closcst borrlrrs lrt1r,-\zerir.rij.rn.'l lre r1jsrr ir 1's r.rpil.r1. (,.tr'.r. u.rs r,st.tlrlislrr,11 br inrntilr,urrs

r.rbb,rtt'. u'hc.rt) lislr i Lrltir.:rtion. .urtl ,rnrrn.rl

tiorrr OItl ll.tr'.tzrt in t,.rrtenr

togclltct lvitlt sontt,ligltt tnrlLrstrr ,rltl eli,r

ILrrl.cr'.

I..tl.t.S,r.tn \ \Lut.rrr,.|..t i: Il()0 stlLr.rrr liiionrclcrs..rnt] it rits rn tlrc (rr1cr ()i tlr(,

ItLrsb,rntlrr, :irc Ilr., .lisrrrr't's nr.rirr in,]rr:trit,r.

trit i;tb]t' ()r,cr

1'rrorlut1ion. .100 spctit's r>l llor..t (rntILrLllt!.

plcntv ol'lrclbs) .rntl ntorc thrrrr 1[X)0 specics l.rLrn.r (rncludrng 270 s1-rccics of.[rircls) i n ir.ibit tlre cl i stnct's vrrriecl tcrr.rr nr. Bevoncl the regton's lt:lturatl r.r.onclers. inclucling lbur n-tount;ii11 r:1nse s \'.rrto-ris in the sor-rth, P.rrlb.rk in the northu'rst. (,cgh.rrniin rn tltc rvest, Arestrni .rnrl So.tn in thc e.rst .tntl nrorirrlltin l)citlis. son)c u'i1ir cr,rrets .rntl l:rl<r,s ltcxl tl)c 1()l). 1ll(,tc .r'.'llso t]tc nt.trt nt.trlr lVOItrlcrs.

lrt'tr ,ri-r' Vislr.rl,.rl<,rr (tlr,rton st()n(,\) 'I ,t r'l ,,r. (.lrrt.li.trr r t,l. ti tlll.lllls llr I tlrt oltl Silli llo.rtl. nr'.rrlv I0,0(X) rrronrr IlrLlrt\ troll t]rc Storrt,, plc-[)rrrr.ti.ut .lrtl

t&-#

"1,A&e*dd*#in

Off the Beaten Path

,lEE.j1"i'.E= ,+,8;4i 's':,i*': i*:#l*ilq,r r,ffii

Urartian ages, and the subsequent Armenian dynasties, including numerous old churdres, monasteries and khachkars. There are no'Westemquality lodging available around the lake, but small, local hotels are available for ovemight stays. There are lots of camping possibilities. And local produce, bread and cheese can be supple-

takes water away towards the Hrazdan-

Sevan hydroelectric stations. The ecological repercussions ofthe drop in water level have resulted in a decrease in certain species of fish, like the famous trout Ishkhan, as well as other water mammals.

1923, a

set up. Ibday, its laboratories conduct daily

studies and analysis ofSevan's ecology and resources. Additionally, the hhkhan frsh is cultivated here both for sale and for replen-

There is no better way to see many different faces of fumenia than by traveling

ishing the lake. The forests surrounding Sevan are rich in varieties of local trees, all of which make the area ideal for campers. Indiscriminate cutting over the last decade has taken its toll, and additional tourist and govemment

Around the Sevan Peninsula The most famous of Sevan's monaster- St. Astvatsatsin and St. Arakelots date from the 9th century and can be readred on top of the hill on what is now the Sevan peninsula, which extends into the lake fiom the west. This peninsula, until the 1950s, was an island in Lake Sevan - the world's second largest alpine lake. The lake, which contains 80 percent of Armenia's water resources, is fed by 28 rivers which flow through the villages and are diverted to water fields, farms and gardens. Some rivers don't contribute much to the lake. And the Hrazdan River even

ies

AIM Destinations

30008C Gakavabert,

Marine Biology Center was

mented by restaurants which offer everytiing {iom the natrve khkhan fish to other varieties of trout, as well as the ubiquitous khorouats.

around Sevan. And although the lake is so big that often the other shore is too far to see, still, one is never more than a couple ofhours (by car) from Yerevan.

Above, left and right Sunbathers and amateur divers at Sevan. Beloq right:

attention can only help guard against future encroachments.

LjaSheJl

which used to be called Ordaklu is the site of an ancient city dating to the Bronze Age. The ruins of a royal castle date from the third millennium BC. A wooden oxcart, unearthed when the waters of Sevan receded, is estimated to be 2000 years old and is currently housed in the History Museum in Yerevan. Urartian artifacts and Bronze Age implements continue to be found by locals who are free to dig

Sevan's waters are

not warm by Medi-

terranean or'Westem standards. After all, this lake is frozen three

months out of the year.

Still, its clear waters, which readr temperatures of LB to 22 degrees Centigrade areas (64

some

to 71 degrees

Fahrenheit), are so invit-

ing that there are a number of swimming beaches on its westem and northem shores.

August September 2000

Off the Beaten Path

Above: Seagull lsland. Below left: Overnight stay cabins at the shores of Tsovazart. Below

right Hairavank, Gavar,

and build homes wherever they want. The museums readily admit they know of these finds but can't afford to purchase them.

up-close.

Seagull lsland

Tsovazart

altemative medicine to individuals and pharmacies alike. In the village of Tsovazart, there are many such gardens and fields and people make a living cultivating and propagating ancient medicines for modem ills.

Hundreds of bird species in the Sevan basin's Seagull Island make this a must-see spot for bird-watchers and bird-lovers. Seagulls haye made this island their yearround home and stay here even when the lake is frozen. Their feathers cover the island like a layer of snow. The seagulls can be heard from a distance and a small water

Since the days of Mkhitar Heratsi, a medieval physician whose manuscripts

Gavar

bicycle takes visitors to the island where the beauty ofthe colony can be enjoyed

in the Matenadaran documents countless

Gavar, the capital of the district, was known as Kamo, after the Bolshevik revolu-

natural remedies, Armenians have used and disseminated these natural medicines throughout the region. The areas around Sevan are rich in diversiry of plants. They grow flowers and herbs, which they sell as

tionary, until independence in the last decade. Sometimes Gavar is referred to as Nor (New) Bayazit, since many of its citizens trace their ancestry toBayazit in eastem Trrk y.

AIM Destinations

August September 2000

Off the Beaten Path

Above: Kotavank, Martuni. Below: Telecommunicatlon station at the Satellite Center. rich museum, Gavar is home to one of fumenia's larger orphanages, food processing factories and a company which produces electric cables. Gavar is also home to Hairavanh a 10th century monastery as well as a fortress dating back to the Bronze Age and cemeteries from the Iron Age. Noraduz cemetery is an awe-inspiring

In addition to

open-air museum. You may even come across mourners who have just completed a burial ceremony - people of Noraduz are still buried here and they continue to build khachkars in the traditional way - and have begun to drink to the memory of the deceased. Gavar, after all, is the home of the world's greatest drinkers, and hundreds

ofjokes celebrate their drinking.

Satellite Center The Post and Telecommunications Closed Stocl Company occupies a vast area on the Noraduz Peninsula. It is equipped with the most recent technical equipment and is, according to Misha Hakobian, the center's director, one of a kind in the Caucasus and the region. It receives and transmits many radio frequencies, from as far as the US, throughout the world. Curently it has contracts with

Perhaps

Asian countries. The center, which has 170 employees and was established in 1966, currently operates at 25 percent ofits capacity. Hakobian, who is a Noraduz native, continues to solicit new contracts to improve his center and community. He has just commissioned a 40-page trilingual book on the khachkars of the Noraduz Cemetery (see How I Got This Shot, page 83).

Today, Martuni has a population of 8000.

In the 1930s, 50 families from Alashkert (Westem Armenia) are said to have arrived

and setded here after the sigrring ofthe Tieaty

handle the spirits well.

AIM Destinations

which broadcasts throughout Armenia, the Voice of America and Free Asia Radio, which uses Armenia's transmitters to reach

Martuni Nerkin Getashen

it's the clean air, but even visitors - for whom a table is spread within moments and the obligatory glass or trro of vodka is poured

Russian Radio, Armenian State Radio,

August September 2000

Off the Beaten Path

of Turkmenchai. But the Alashkert emigrants were not Martuni's first occupants. Local cemeteries boast of uniquely carved khaclkars dating back 3,000 years. Urartian irrigation canals and cuneiform inscriptions can be seen on old structures, especially as

one approaches the Arpa-Sevan-Vorotan Tirnnel. The famous Kotavank monastery was built in 851AD. The river Argiji, one of the 28 rivers which feed into Sevan, runs through the area. Still, Martuni is hot and dry in the summer. Perhaps that's what makes the Vardavar celebration in July so special.

On that

day, no one works or washes clothes or does anything that might make the water less pure. They celebrate by sacrificing animals and enjoying a feast by a river, a spring or near an ancient church. They splash water on any moving thing on the path.

Artsvanist Vorotan, Arpa, Sevan The construction of the famous Arpain the early 1970s to make up for the outflow of water from Sevan tunnel began

Sevan. It was to bring water from the Arpa River to Lake Sevan. The 48km tunnel took nearly 20 years to construct and many lives were lost during the difficult engineering work. Years later, it became necessary to join up with the Vorotan River also. As elsewhere in Armenia, historical monuments are not too far away. In the nearby city of Artsvanist, there is a church where General Smbat Bagratuni is buried.

Vartenis On the southeastem shores of Lake Sevan, Vartenis is a

mountain range, a mountain peak, a town, and a way of life. Very hot, sunny summers are good for the local villagers who are hours and years removed from Yerevan. Perhaps because of this distance from the country's centet one of Armenia's two mental health sanitariums is located

in Vartenis.

Another birdwatchers' attraction is Gili Lidi (ake), at the southem end of lake Sevan. The lake - now dry - is the focus of major efforts to reconstruct certain natural habitats.

The nearby city of Zod, famous for its gold mines, is very close to Armenia's eastern border.

This page. Left Fishing at Arpa, the entrance to Sevan. Right Church at Vertenis. Opposite page. Above: Northeastern shores of Sevan. Below: Gabanas at the north shores.

AIM Destinations

August September 2000

Off the Beaten Path

ffims*

Sksres

The eastern shores ofLake Sevan are sparsely populated. On the northern side, the lake is at its narrowest, and tl're local popuia-

tion

rd)r 1

speaks

oitthe srnall (vs. tl.re large) Sevan.

The sl'rores near the 12th century village of' Shorja are considered sorne of the best swin-rming, camping and hiking areas. There are motels, rest areas, restaurants and children's camps. Baku and Karabakh refugees have made these shores their home.

ffiryrt$r*rn #firmflffiffi tm

Fmsqfrmrum*x$mm

The narrow part ofSevan is rvhere the best fishing, windsurling, jetskiing, camping, hiking and swimming are. That's probably why rnost of the srnall motels, restauralrts and rold stands are Iocated therer

,4lM's Parik Nazarian dnd Mkhitar Khachatrian mdrlc thejournq around Lake Sctan in 7.J hours, in

rcnted oan. Tltqt sta.yed raithJiimds and uc4uain-

in small motds dnd rooming housts. Their trip corered 470 krn. (300 rnihs). tanccs, or

"q ,..

i"n&,

AIM Destinations

August September 2000

1"tu[ (!f '".ooo 4

ilclz tr."/ition

f,itt"z*J

9ootttLito -

ooL o"ofiit otu"o[

ont*o aaptutJ in fr.ttt " Lfrot, m/ioLu 4r.me.nian ,[*gona, frtf1,

orl

otooo.

-tzt

y"" "t-o*oko

tzntet to

llfrrtLz fo, [,uilrut, oz frLatuzt, lirooo." o tfr, frIy o{t men ian tz zat o

" "g

{"n

expeziz,ntz of a

ttt'"ti*r.

*itet

lE <Ktiauzant ttoi,zg

Spe"t

t';r* CtJao ant/. contitnztt^[ CUL'W

cfitztttm Bo', u-it$ o fi* stecLion of

youo

hu"e Jrganee.

Iog xtegatzt onrl ou*t'ottohL toomr anl

Err,r"ogr,

ubrtutionl

""^J

- bdr", *it|

t rooli,

lluz

uto, *rd.

9utL"

- 9"*arg *iil 1"oo[ "oo*o Gtttimd *r/ tbt maclziner - tJ"fu E?uiklxdYitn,tt Czntzz uitfi *r*, *rr! *[azium

OPto-oi,

sa,bnmbzg

fool'on

oo"rtop

tlf ,z"r,r*

oflG"r,irro

Gu*u*

on t

"tLtt

i.n LEt

"utt

!3ushetr Cent,r,r fizoc,iirng at[

L'rou.tt,

tifuaLztl at

Jhrrt, tk

thzet ,,f (j;luzzoruz, tlzz

90rL,

E*/,f "t'{*- *2,,r,* t' r tfro lt ""rr/ "f t"rla't G*ttutt

looatLon *ot

Coo."'rl khro wtt|(L{i*ut

frrutL ui

rzo['

Curt'rrror, .A)r,umt *iili.

*,/., -

oo of",

*o"u

zq u Lfme nL

S.rrue,zLt SLolt

orrt""

tk oitg. Jot ['(Urr.n,* "i gu:,tt gou

rxfl'ore

cr,

tttticTua

citg

ofzpozluni$ to

Jt /t.cttont.

4tzpot"L Zoazlnotr it. otlg a t5 mtmtzs ,1"u, u*oy fio* tll fr"trll.

SeroLaet {Ib{b t"L y, lio na t Et q [.ct; -

41i,,LEo"

I"""rl,,y & E.zy Ct"*,u,X

9r* 1r*lii,rg z 4-

toaz <Ro o m tzrc, iz.e

z4- liouz

*t'otmati, n

llmousitt. *2,-,io,

rltt!

Yerevan Hotels

Yercvan's Newest Hotels Text and Photos by Matthew Karanian all it Yerevanopoly if you like. Yerevan has tumed itself into a

giant Monopoly@ board game.

New hotels have been built, old ones have been renovated, and there are eyen some motels staking claims on the fringe of the city. Much of this progress has been made in just the past year, with an eye toward cashing in on the tourist boom that is expected in 2001. Business people, it seems, are betting that foreigners will descend upon Yerevan during Armenia's celebration of its 1700th anniversary of Christianity. And hotels

are

the currency that these business leaders are using for their bets.

Hotel Armenia, which was once

the

nation's flagship hotel, now tion at every tum. The newcomers haven't depressed prices for room rentals, however, Indeed, most rooms are still rented for more than $100, which is a startling price faces competi-

a dozen guests

are optimistic.

The gaming and dance-show atmosphere of the lower floors is for adults, however, and is not ideal for families with young children. AII rooms have air conditioning, mini-bar, modem bathrooms (no tubs), and 24-hour hot water. Breakfast is included. Just across the street is another newcomer, the Hotel Yerevan, which

And although the increased competi-

tion hasn't forced owners to reduce prices,

has encouraged them, apparently, to make improvements and upgrades to their facilities. As a resulq frugal tourists in 2001 will find that even a $28 budget hotel is

now tolerable. Tourists with deep pocJcets will find com-

forts that approximate the Westem standards to which they are accustomed. Visitors looking for

you'll find a lobby with

will be disap-

pointed. For all of the new rooms, there's a gap in good lodging in the middle price range of $50 to $75. The comfort and predicability of a mediocre, mid-range Westem-sryle Motel 6@ or Holiday Inn@ The Astafian Hotel, whidr actually calls itself a hotel complex because of its on-site casino, nightclub and restaurant, occupies a prime location on Abovian Street, not far from Republic Square, and close to everything in central Yerevan. The

a country where most people don't even eam $100 in a month. So apartment owners are also edging in on the game. Many owners are letting out their homes by the day or weelg at onetenth the cost of a hotel room. There is even a central clearinghouse that will help

tourists find suitable apartrnents. Some community leaders have questioned whether Yerevan will be able to support so many hotels, especially after

building opened in March with only 9 guest suites, ranging

from $120 to $150 (Vr\T included). The huge suites have balconies over-

size beds,

a local sryle dâ&#x201A;Źcor

an elaborate atrium, complete with bar, comfortable and private seating a

fountain, and

a glass

elevator from which to view it all. There's a surimming pool and a bar on the roo{, and exercise equipment

on the top floor. The common areas are luxurious and have been tastefully outfitted in marble by the hotel's Italian owners. The hotel's owners aren't the only Italians here. Everything right down to the mushrooms in the kitchen pantry, has been imported from Italy. The staffclaims

that this is Yerevan's best hotel, and it would be difficult to argue with them based on apPearances we haven't slept there. But at $185 for a double occupancy room, these may also be the city's priciest rooms

looking the street, and they are fumished with

full

clain.

opened in May with 124

something aYerage, at an average price

includes a banquet table, sofa and plush

rooms and suites. Here

doesn't yet exist in Yerevan.

in one of these suites, which

in Monopoly@, some could be forced to leave the game. For now, however, all as

that

the expected tourism surge of2001.Just

features heavily lacquered tables, cabinets filled with crystal glassware, and floral tapestries. One could easily entertain

AIM Destinations

August September 2000

especially at $700 for one night for the Senior Presidential Suite. These prices are all before adding a 20 percent VAT. The hotel also offers a monthly membership

Yerevan Hotels

that permits use of its pool and exercise room, for $150, which should be tempting to any expatriate during Yerevan's scorched summers.

Families with young children will feel welcome here but, as with each of the city's other hotels, there's no playground or nursery. All rooms have air conditioning,

mini bar, modem bathrooms (no tubs), and 24-hour hot water. Rooms are also

supplied with terry robes, slippers and personal sized toiletries. Intemational calls can be made from one's room, and there's even a phone on the wall near the toilet. Handicapped accessibility: elevator (no wheel chair entry) to all floors, one step to main lobby.

controlled air conditioners, e-mail oudets, and terry bathrobes. The $94 double occupancy rooms are one of the best values in Yerevan. Rates top out at $150 for deluxe accommodations, and all prices include the 20 percent VAT. All rooms have air conditioning, modem bathrooms (no tubs), and 24-hour hot water. Breakfast is included. Handicapped accessibility: elevator (no wheel chair entry) to all floors, steps to main lobby. The Ani Plaza Hotel, at the intersec-

tion of Sayat Nova and Abovian Streets - strictly speaking - not a new hotel. But anyone who has ever seen the old Hotel Ani will be stricl<en by the makeover that is

was substantially completed

this year. Even the name on the marquee has been upgraded.

The building is equipped a restaurant, lounge, business center, travel agency, laundry service, and every other amenity that one would expect in a full service hotel.

guarantees poor service.

But the price is right. Foreigners are charged 15,000 dram (roughly $28) for a single, which includes hot water in the moming and evening. In accordance with traditional practices, foreign guests are charged considerably more than locals are. Handicapped accessibility: several steps to main lobby, narrow passageways, elevator (no wheel chair entry) to all floors. Retuming visitors will also find that Yerevan's familiar hotels are still operating. Hote! Armenia, on Republic Square,

with

The Sil Hote!, another of Yerevan's newest hotels, compensates with luxury for its less than ideal location. This 23-room lodge is located just barely outside of the central city, on a commercial stretdr of Tigran Mets Street. Guests will have a short walk to Queen Burger, which

Erebuni Hotel warants mention

one ofYerevan's oldest Soviet-era hotels - oldest because, unlike others, it has not been renovated. Its 235 dingy and musty smelling rooms are located behind Republic Square, near the central Post Office. Floor ladies, a Soviet holdover, keep tabs on guests by controlling their keys, and an over-abundance ofemployees

is undergoing renovations and could qualifu next year as a new

hotel. HyBusiness

Their 24-hour room service is unexpected in an industry where 24-hour hot water is still noteworthy. Renovations are not complete, however, and a conference center, health spa and outdoor cafe are still in the worla. Most of their rates are competitive, and the $70 "economy single" (VAI included in all prices) is the best

Suites and the Bass Hote! are also fine choices, especially for business travelers. They are small enough to

ensure personal service, and the rooms are spacious enough to make it possible to do real work. The suites at Hybusiness even have microwaves and refrigerators in the

was

one of Yerevan's first fast food outlets, and to the city's

buy in town for a solo traveler. Room prices

rooms. Hote! Dvin underwent modest renovations a couple of years ago, but its dingy and musty $50

will open in conjunction with next year's celebration ofthe estab-

top out at $145 for

singles are overpriced.

newest cathedral, which

"business double." All rooms have air

lishment of Christianity. There's a small spalike swimming pool and "Shaping Room" in the basement, a

conditioning, modem bathrooms (no tubs), and 24-hour hot water. Breakfast is included.

sauna, and a ground floor restaurant. The guest quarters consist of a bedroom and a liv-

Handicapped accessibility: elevators (no wheel chair entry) to all floors, steps to main lobby.

ing area with sofa and chairs. Special touches include remote-

AIM Destinations

Whether you are a business traveler or a tourist with young children, Yerevan's stod< of empty apartrnents may best serve your needs. Apartments available for daily or weekly rentals of as little as $10 each night. Conditions are not predictable, and there are no services offered. But a rented apartment could offer an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the local lifestyle. The Elephant Agenry has listings, phone 58-14-29, fax 15-16-78t

August September 2000

:,=:r:i"

""r,, ,:.l:lrm

\''

riti:1 i:

i::.'1".".

Yerevan Restaurants

EatingEUrWay

ThroughYeretan By Matthew Karanian, Photos by Zaven Khachikian ust a few yea:s ago, you didn't need to read in a magazine that there was a new Chinese restaurant in Yerevan. restaurant opened in the city, you could count on everyone to know about it.

Ifa

German tavem more than an Armenian one, but there's no mistaking the quality of the food. The menu features a variety of dolmas (roughly $2) and kuftas (averaging $3) that are delighdul. Fresh trout is also available ($12) and there is a full array of Armenian salads

for a dollar or two. Century-old photographs of Yerevan adom the walls, and there's a display of Armenian carpets and musical instruments

that lends charm to the ambience. For dessert, in addition

to traditional pastries, the tav-

Shahrazad is a stone's throw away from the Armenia Hotel, and offers good Mlddle Eastern food, excellent arak, and bellydancing.

em seryes the famous fuarat Brandy - $1.50 for the youngest *S-star," to about $5 for the top shelfvariety. The tavem, which opened a few months ago, is located at 23/4 Ttrmanian Street, near Opera Square. Limited seating is available on an outdoor porch. The indoor dining rooms, reached by a full flight ofstairs, can seat roughly

Wheel Club is, as its name suggests, a club. But membership isn't exclusive.

about

dl the new spots by word of mouth. Nor is it possible any longer to write about

address, and you'll be admitted. The club is a clever marketing ploy to attract expats

every new place that opens. There are just

to its restaurant and bar.

too many of them. Here is a sampling of some of the newer cafes and restaurants that opened in the past year or so, and which have caught our attention.

Armenian cuisine from 10 am till midnight, seven days a week. The d6cor resembles a

The moming menu features a traditional English Breakfast offried eggs, fried tomatoes and fried sausages ($5), bagels and scones ($2 each), and filter coffee (about $1). Lundres and dinners are more varied, and prices are generally about $5 to $8 for a complete meal. The club opened in August 1999 and is located in an apartment building at 15

DL2

AIM Destinations

Old Erivan Tavern

offers traditional

for

wagon wheel.

To avoid the expats, try the English Park and lshkhan Caf6, where you'll be invited to select the trout you want to

from among scores that are swimming in the restaurant's outdoor pool. The tables are all outdoors, too, and they're surounded by cascading water and fountains that help reduce the ambient temperature by at least l0 or 20 degrees, in addition to eat

creating an oasis-like atmosphere. Many of the patrons are locals, but the cafd is growing in popularity with visitors. Most of the fish in the pond are identical, so the selection process is really more

ritual than a requirement. An employee attaches a hook to a pole, and places some bread on the hooh and there's a fish on the a

hook as soon as it's dropped into the water. Ifyou're standing nearby, watch your

50 guests.

Yerevan's restaurant market has grown steadily over the years, however. Today it is no longer reasonable to expect to leam

Just

Parpetsi Street, whid, runs parallel to Sarian and Mashtots streets, just offTirmanian Street. Don't look for a sigrr. Instead, look

fill out a form listing your name and

August September 2000

Yerevan Restaurants

you hot (about $1). Boiled trout is available for about $2, a large serving oftabule is only about $1, and a traditional Armenian coffee is less than 50 cents.

The cafi3, which opened in December, serves food and drinks

from

On Komltas, a couple of metro stops from Republic Square, Eastern Restaurant has an attractive bar, delicious Middle

Eastern pastries, and real lurkish food.

head. The trout will be flinged out in an over hand maneuver that looks like someone warming up for a softball pitch. If you can tolerate the sometimes indifferent service, you'll enjoy a dinner for two, whidr includes salad, the trout elegandy gar-

and a couple ofsoft drinks, for only about $10 to $12. Look for the cafe at 24 Khorenatsi Street, behind Republic Square. It's surrounded by grape vines, canopies ofivy, and the gurgling of water falls. The sign on the wall is in Armenian, but menus are also written in English. nished

The Alcon Gaf6 Restaurort is an upscale but local restaurant that caters to a mostly local clientele. There's a shaded

outdoor cafd featuring patio umbrellas that are adomed, incongruently, with the name of an American cigarette. Indoors, however, the atmosphere is upscale, clean and bright. Order a hot bowl of raditional Spas, whidr is a yogurtbased soup, and the attentive waiters will actually bring it to

At 42 Mashtots Avenue, Cactus's decor is reminiscent of Southern Callfornia's Mexican restaurants. So is the food. AIM Destinations

10 am

until

about midnight - or later if necessary- and also serves a variety of beer, wine and hard drinla. The large

indoor dining room

can accommodate more than 100 guests. Look for the Alcon at 15 Sayat Nova Street,

near the intersection with Abovian Street. For dessert, ty a local spo! rather than one that cate6 to tourists. Elesse Pastry Shop is an ideal spot for a traditional Armenian coffee and a baklava or other Eastem pasffy. The d6cor is local, the clientele is local, and so are the reasonable prices

for

the locally baked goods. The owners describe their shop as an'Anatolian Patisseria.'

The bright yellow and green painted exterior hasn't attracted expats, nor has the lack of air conditioning or the cafeteria style tables. But the strong coffee and the quiet atmosphere warrant your visit. Traditional Armenian coffee is about 20 cents, beer is about 60 cents, and pastries are frequently less than 40 cents. The pastry shop opened two years ago, and it is located at 116 Nalbandian, on the comer of Sayat Nova, within steps of the Ani Plaza Hotel.

In a city that loves traditional Eastem coffee, a teahouse might seem to be an anomaly. And maybe it is. But tea lovers will want to stop and drink a cup, or a pot, at the Natura Gold Tea House. The owners have been selling tea by the bulk here for a few years, but have just recendy added a quiet and understated tearoom at the rear. You won't find clich6 maroon colored velvet drapes, gold colored trinkets, or fringed lampshades. Instead, the wood fumishings look more like teak, and the lighting is indirect. You'll be able to sample teas from a large menu of varieties, and order light foods as well. The art of making tea is apparently an elaborate one, because sometimes it take 10 minutes or so for it to arrive. One strong cup of English Breakfast is about 30 cents. You'lI find the tea house at 11 Abovian, near Tirmanian Street. ICs open from 10 am until late evening. This tea house is almost directly across the street from another Thinings, which also serves - yes, tea. Twinings, in the basement of a central Yerevan residential building is cool, quiet,

minimally decorated with wood, and delicious crepes for around $1 to $2.

There are perhaps hundreds of sidewalk cafes all over the city now, some of them changing ownership several times each year, or closing only to be replaced by new cafes. A listing of these transient cafes would be of little use. Visitors will need to walk and stumble upon their own favorite sidewalk cafe for sipping the local beers, the ubiquitous Fanta orange soda, or a tiny cup of Armenian coffee.

And while walking among the

you'll be sure to stumble upon If you must have typicd American brewed coffee and a doughnut, and you don't mind risking an encounter urith an

American, try Yum.Yum Donuts, on Mashtots Street near the Cascade. The coF fee and atmosphere - as familiar as lhose of a typical donut shop - and the air condi-

tioning ensures loyal customers. A second Yum-Yum has opened at the top of Manhd Bagramian Street, near the Hayastan (food) Market and the metro station. August September 2000

serves

cafes,

several

more restaurants that are newly opened, or which have gone unnoticed by tourists and joumalists. When you spot one of these, consider yourselflud<y, and go in and sit down. You might have just stumbled upon one of Yerevan's newest and best dining places, even before the word about it has gotten out! Oa it migfut be a traditional place without a menu, without Englishspeaking staff, but with good, delicious food, the ever-present vodka and Jermuk r

Highlights

Yerevanb Best Food& Drinks

Place for a Good Steak Monte Cristo formedy Sante

Bread

Voskehats 12 Tigr fl Mets Avenue 5245-92. Varieties of bread and delicious homemade pasfries. Desserts

Granatus French Crepes

Twinings 22 Abovian Street, 54-33-39. A vuiety of thin and light crepes - try th. nutella and banana - with pots of freshly brewed tea.

Don Pepe

Next to the Crntral Banlc Wonderfrrl Steak au poivre and delicious salads with los of lemon and garlic; great kbanese offerings as well.

Armenia Hotel, 1 Amirian Streeq 59-91-13. T.y No. 15, tasty quesadillas, hearty portions. Great for lundr or dinner. fun with a group.

Anyurhere on Proshian Street

Mexican Restaurant

Khorovats

49 Mashtots Avenue, 58-3747. Unbelievably beautiful and delicious cakes, tortes and individual desserts. Great for parties and celebrations.

Lebanese Meze

Lebanese Cuisine

Cappuccino

Don Pepe fumenia Hotel, l Amirian Street. Made with real espresso, not the padcaged stuff. Thick foam and good chocolate. Margarita

Cactus

8 Khorhrdarani Street. fuound the comer from the Armenia Hotel, 5842-32. Mutabal

42 Mashtots Avenue, 53-99-39. Authentic blended margaritas. Several flavors.

(babaganoush) to die for! The fatoush is very good - we order ours with exta sumac.

Piza

California Pizza 21 Abovian Street, 58-53-95. Not the US

chain, but someone finally got pizza right! Try the Vegetable or Armenian Pizza! Authentic Armenian

Dolmama 10 Pushkin Street,

offAbovian,

55-89-31.

Charming atmosphere, delicious food.

Proshian is also known as Grill Street. Almost any spot along this street is a can'tmiss for yummy khorovats and kebab.

Hangout

Pastry

Wheel Glub 15 Parpetsi Street, 53-28.58. Good food, pleasant surroundings. Iots of expatriates with

Anoush

lots to talk about. Try the Mac and Cheese!

11 Abovian at Ti:manian, 5447-87. Tiny shop with big treats! Try the sesame cookies - you'll end up buy-S a whole box!

DL4

AIM Destinations

August September 2000

Highlights

Hfl,il*k'-=r.:fli.t,.

.o-r",i,o.,.

Beer

Kilikia and Kotayk

ShOppi ng

Souvenir Shop

Salt Sack 3/l Abovian

Art Gallery

Street 55-89-31. Great selection of

First Floor Gallery

locally handmade crafts, pottery

jewelry clothing, fumiture and carpets. It's all here.

Appliance Shop

Zig Zag

Available everywhere, both local beers are hugely popular. But it's like the Coke vs.

75 Koghbatsi Street, 53-37-99. A wide selection of paintings, sculptures, handmade jewelry scarves and bags. Be sure to walk up the stairs and visit AIM's Yerevan office. Handmade Sweaters

Pepsi war.

Aram & Anush Sharambeyan's Craft Center

Water

where. This delicious water is the Evian

9 Alkesdan Street,4 5541{.2. Absolutely beautiful handmade sweaters for women, men and children. You will leave the store

of fumenia.

with bags of locally produced treasures.

Noy Named after Noah, it

is available every-

Great handmade woodcrafts and souvenirs.

24 Mashtots Street, 53-75-75. Several locations. Almost every appliance you may need. Refrigerators, TVs, CD players, electric razors, tape recorders and VCR s.

Tea Shop

Nutura Gold

Flowers

Custom Made Clothes

Brabion Shops

Acappela

Abovian Street/lumanian Street, 56-15-1 1. Open 24 hours. If great packaging is what you're looking for, this is the flower outlet for you. The fanciest of all. AIso, flower vendors at most maior intersections offer I1

beautiful selections. Music Store

Unison 19 Aghaian Street, 5649-54. Great selection of westem and Armenian CDs.

Abovian Street,55-90-91. Offers a surprisingly wide selection of regular and

59 Komitas Street, 23-80-81. Wonderful workmanship. A real treat to have something made just for you. It's quick as well!

Cosmetics

Masha

herbal teas.

8 Sayat Nova Street, 56-99-88.

Coffee

All the brand

Cafe de Paris

Grocery Store

names you may have forgotten to pick up at the duty free counters in

Europa

Europe: Chanel,

4 Vardanants Street, 58-58{8. A bit pricey, but loaded with good stufffrom East and Wesr

Givendry, Lancome etc.

23 Abovian Street,522648. Tasty westem and eastern coffees.

AIM Destinations

August September 2000

Highlights

Placesto See&Be Seen

Culture There are wonderful museums in and out of town. Try to get to the National Gallery (Republic Square), Children's Museum (comer ofAbovian Street and Sayat Nova Street) and the Sardarabad Museum.

Summer Day

Museum

Parajanov Museum

wonderful orchestra. Completely worth your time. Tiaditional and modem selections played with absolute perfection and

Outdoor Cafe, Armenia Hotel

amazing interpretation.

Jaz

Paplavok lazzCale

Great burgers and ice cream sundaes. Late for casual meetings.

15/15 Dsoragyugh Street, 53-84-73. Still hard to find, but worth the trouble. Go to St. Sarkis Church and walk from there,

services. Perfect locale Summer Evening

Lobby Bar, Armenia Hotel

Memorial

Excellent place to schmooze with a glass of Armenian brandy.

Genocide Museum 4l Isahakian, 52-23{3. Great music, great ambience. The best place to be seen on warm or cool evening.

lnternet Cafe

Arminco 50 Khanjian Street, 57-58-23. Decent connection to the intemet. Good selection of computer hardware and accessories.

Piano Player

Samvel

Tsitsemakaberd, 39{9-81. A place to feel proud and sad at the same time. This moving monument and museum to the victims of the Armenian Genocide reminds us of the honors our ancestors lived. Remember

Off the Beaten Path

Khosrov Preserve The natural beauty is breathtaking and worth the drive.

the tissues.

St. Garabed & Arakelots Churches

Modern Art

Armenian Center for Contemporary & Experimental Art 1/3 Pavstos Buizand Boulevard, across

from

Vemissa ge, 56-82-25 / 52-83-25

Etcetera

Changing displays, by appointment only. You never know what you're going to see

He's at Charley's,2l Abovian Street, 52-57-11 and at Paplavok,4l Isahakian Street. Close your eyes and listen, you'll swear you're in

Tourist lnfo Choir

National Chamber Orchestra Komitas Chamber Music Hall, 1 Isahakian Street,52-67-18. Hands Down! This is a

the lake, listening to ancient music in the

badground, makes for a profound orperience.

Manhattan.

and experience. Music Group

Iake Sevan. Take a climb up the steps to the top of the hill. It's worth the srercise for the view alone, and you might get ludry and catch the seminarians in action. Overlooking

Hovir

Yerevan Guide Find this free guide in hotels, shops and restaurants. An excellent source for maps,

Nova and Abovian Street. This ensemble just won the International Choir Olympiad. Check them out.

restaurants, museums, galleries, theaters, etc. Keep one in your podrct at all times.

AIM Destinations

August September 2000

Sayat

Highlights

Hot Summer Days

Day Trippers

Sanahin Monastery

Lake Sevan

It's amazing, wonderful, and serene. Ched<

Yi*fi,,n

out Odsun and Haghbat (above) while you're in the areaVonderful scenery on the way too!

sqrpadc

Monastic Complex

Noravank Newly renovated. Datgv Amazing complex and views. Haghartsin A jewel in the forest. View of Ararat

The obvious destination to cool offand have fun in the sun. But don't discount a drive to the mountains - Ambert (below) on Mt. fuagats, Dilijan, Sanahin, Geghard.

Khor Virab Monastery St. Sarkis Church from Yerevan. Places to Feel Like a Native

Victory Park in the evenings.

Noraduz

Hrazdan Market

during the day.

5t. Kathoghike AsWatsatsin Abovian Street/ Sayat Nova Street. Behind the Linguistics Institute. The oldest parish

clurdr in Yerevan

Compiled by Laura Gononian, a Michigan native who has lived in Yerevan off and on since 1998. She is Director of Programs for the Armenia Tree Project.

Near Lake Sevan, this cemetery has thousands of Khachkars, yet it's really hard to find. You need a good driver. Don't be surprised if some people haven't heard of it.

Saghmosavank

Photos by Zaven Khachikian, Mkhitar Khachatrian, Parik Nazarian

One ofArmenia's best gorges. Absolutely breathtaking views with a magical ciurdr. It's on the road to Ashtarah Vanadsor, Spitak and Gumri - ask your driver to stop on the way.

AIM Destinations

August September 2000

an enoEnous cathedral before the Communiss

of it. But, a lovely, small drapel remains,

destroyed most

Ched< out daily services or Badarak on Sundap. The acappela droir is great

Local Color

coffiL Photos by Veero Der.Karabetian he weather is always a popular subject in Armenia - and the cause of mudr of the ills. "The air is so heavy I can't

think; My mood's lousy because the air pressure is low; the humidity is high, that's why I have a headache; It's so hot I have no patience.o Anything and everything can

be explained by environmental factors. This summer, unusually hot and dry conditions in spring and summer exasperated an alreadytaxed populace. Agricultural production, irrigation systems, many other aspects of the economy were severely affected. Those who could, escaped

D18

AIM Destinations

August September 2000

to mountain

Local Color

OFF towns and villages. Others spent days at lake Sevan and cooled

offin

its never-warm waters. It is always hardest for those in Yerevan, in the fuarat plain, where homes and offices are usually without air conditioning' Ibmperatures inside older, stone buildings are lower than those outside. Still, cool is a relative term when outside temPeratures exceed 105o Fahrenheit. And at times like this, even the atmospheric conditions take on political oyertones. Everyone remembers the old soviet laws (still maintained) which stated that in 40 plus (centigrade) temperatures, no one should be required to go to school or work But in order to avoid the resultant decrease in production, the govemment was thought to keep the temperature a secret. Oddly enough, "ICs 40 (centigrade) outside and they're not telling us" is still an oft-heard phrase, regardless of what the temperature really is. Somehow, holding a thermometer out the

window has not entered the realm of possibility. Califomia-based photographer Veero Der-Karabetian found people

looking for various ways to cool

AIM Destinations

offr

August September 2000

.-,."Fdff"

-t

# a

* c

With over 20 years of professional experience, Digilith defines the A to Z's of graphic design and prepress. When you bring your project to us we'll work wlth you every step of the way. With our state of the art technology, creative team and professional people, you can rest assured that there will be no compromise from concept to the completed project. Whether you need a catalog, brochu re, di rect marketing materials or other on time, call Digilith today!

."/*'?"]'..

{v,

Il 1\"

kh*

iEs ffi ffiq,

digi

GRAPHICS

'-":

Light lndustry

,g!:.9. .e:6::i!i9iie,

":; g.l :r "".

tf: '"i:" 9!::;

''it';,-.,.tj'.1= "-.!j;;-s*;{fl,s__

. '

':"""'.

r-.

".:,':;.r):,

J;:'

$,!

'.,;;'

..;::

- .

')it

i:)l;, :rtt

;:l

";'

.':l:,

.r) i1.ll.,; l:ta:::,:; .t':.,

..',

.";;i""

Brandy

Text and Photos by Matthew Karanian walk through the streets of Yerevan, it's easy to find a store that sells the world famous Ararat Brandy. But if you want to taste the brandy before purchasing a bottle, and learn some of its history, you should trek out to the factory where the strong spirit is distilled and bottled, which is just a 15

minute walk from the center of town. Yerevan Brandy Company, you'Il be invited to a special tasting room where you can taste rwo of the company's finest brandies, for a fee ofroughly $7.

At the

USSR

in 1920.Today, this nominally fumenian company is owned

by the French Pernod-fucard giant which specializes in purchasing and promoting national drinks' The company began offering tours in July, and their museum and gift shop were opened at the same time. There has been little publicity or advertising, but still, they estimate receiving about 60 tourists, mostly foreigners, each week' The brandy produced here is between25 and 30 proo[ and it is

The fee also includes a tour of the plant. Visitors on the tour will see how the brandy is distiiled, and see where it is stored in the oak barels that give the brandy its distinctive aroma and taste. The highlight of the tour is a peek at the 24,000 bottles that the company holds

in reserve in its cellar. Here, you'Il find spirits and brandies dating back to1902. As you walk through the reserves, you'll get a glimPse of 100 years of brandy making history

in Armenia. There's also a 20-minute video presentation, and a museum and gift shop. Ararat Brandy has been in production since 1887, but it's only been since 1953 that the company has occupied the massive quarters that dominate the Hrazdan Gorge, on the Eimiatsin highwaY, just around the corner from the soccer stadium. For decades, the building avoided the spotlight as best it could, in its prime location. But now, a large red sign is lighted from atop the building proclaiming "Ararat" for

all the city to see. The comPany was sold to Russian investors in 1899, and was nationalized bY the

Destinations, 207 South Brand Bouleaard,

A Publication of AIM, Arrnenian International Magazine

s,tite 203, Glendale, california 91204, LISA, Phone 818.246.7979 ' Fax 818.246.0088 ' E-mail aimagazine@aol.com

lil

., r. '!ir ]

i,rti ,-r.:;

',1i,,i,.,..

{

ffi

E (

Yrctet

(

)rYW

you

lo all destinorions ai

rldwide!

Light lndustry

and mildly flavored liquid in its early days, immediately after distillation. The distillery operates from October through May. fuarat BrandY acquires its color and aroma after aging

a colorless

for several years in oak barrels ofvarying sizes. The best for 20 years,

ofthe brandies is aged in small barrels that are

said to be ideally sized for this aging process. Larger banels are used for aging the

more common brandies,

which are ready for drinking in as little as five years. And, despite claims that the new French owners haven't changed any production techniques, visitors will see a couple of massive oak barrels, stored on-end, which the French designed and introduced to the factory as a means of increasing

production. Visitors can walk uP off the street

fvlENuJt T$t H.s SE RVIC ES A

DRIVER

HOTET R,ESERVATIONS CELL PHONE RENIAL ADVANCE RESERVATION RECOMiiENDED

INTERPR.ETER SERVICES

SHOPPING ASSISTANCE SHORT.TERIYT APARTftIENT RTNTAT

VIP ARRIVAT SEf,VICT

AtrTTENTA

Yerevon Armenio

OF ARMENIA CAR R.ENTAL WITH OR WITHOUT

Ani Plozo Hotel tobbY Phone: 13741l' 527372 or 137411 583901 Fox 1374.l) 583901 E-moil: info@menuotours.com www.menuotours.com

IN USA 3467 Oceon View Blvd Glendole Colifiornio 912O8 USA Phone: (818) 248'9771 Fox: (818l' 249999C-

rfffi

Light lndustry

without calling in advance, but when we tried this in August, the guards were unsure of the procedure for admitting us to the grounds. W'e have since been told to announce guards "l am a buyer."

to the

The guards don't understand English, but they have been trained to understand those four words, if they are pronounced slowly. If

you say these four words, the guard will admit you to the tasting room, where you can buy bottles ofbrandy, and speak to an English, French, Russian or Armenian-speaking guide.

Tours should be arranged one day advance, however. There were no 6xed

houn in August, but a spokesman said they expected to offer tours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, depending upon demand. Visitors should call 52-68-9I, and ask for Ana Ghukasian. Or fax a request to her at l5l-298. Larger group tours of more than 15 people can be accommodated, and Ghukasian says the factory can even arrange

for transportation

London Heathrow to Aleppo non-stop. with British Ainrays, you

can now

in your fly non-stop from London Heathrow to Aleppo. So now there's nothing standing

visit our website on www.britishairways'com or way to Syriat second city. To find out more, contact your local travel agent,

'l call British Ainvays on - 800 - AIRWAYS. Ltd' Services operated by the independent carrier British Mediterranean Aimays

Once in a lifetime opportunity. A chance to own your piece of the homeland

Pafk BeSidgnCg rhe Residence yerevan The best aparnnenb H:li:iJl;ffif::il:ff1',il; il^iXl?::fl;i: i;J iiJ,I: Park

condominiums

Yerevan #il:'Jfif:ff|:*fr: lffii: elevators, centralized

0..

o,i' [l,l#: ffi

:f[ :TX T ;i,i; I i:j, ;ffi:l

ail

sophisticated and

fl,il,lff: ;[:li:jiillT}J:

hot and cold water, a heated garage,

fli iil:ff Ti,l I il ii i ffii

Four floors, plus underground parking. The

:ilI

i [l I I i I

first floor is already sold out.

Gentralized Air. Private Hot & Gold water. subterranean parking Earthquake Proof Structure . 24-Hour Security . 3 Etevators satellite and Local relevision . lndependent power Generator Centrally located near the French Embassy Zto Sbedrooms o I to 4 bathrooms

0ur Record

Our

Hotel Yerevan has recently opened as a S-star establishment as a result of Benco SpAs rebuilding program in Armenia.

Aida Yeghiazarian

Agent

Remax of Glendale

I l:ijtir'noaks

Bourevard

Ittp,litqryq

il :i;rnr !r ,i1,ilir , ri:l.rri li

f w#ndsr = why I mh*uld stop in Zuri*h if X'rx? not gcing l!

r;t'

to Zuri*h?

\ \,

2 weekly non-stop flights from Zurich to Yerenon ond bock. It's so easirl Short r,valks make for quick connections (often as little as 40 nrinutcs) to over 300 onward destin;rtions. Plus coml'ortablc lounges and great shclpping. So trext time you l'ly. fl1, there via Zurich. It's one oI the frienclliest airports in Europe. Swissair. We care. :f;fi

'|fu

Qrurlillvcr (ir'oLrp

For in.lonrrution ond booking: rlrr,rr,.sn'rssrrilcont or call I'our local tra cl ugeilt.

F{eJftb de.sc"HsgB

swissairfl

With direct service from the U.S. to Arnenia

From large shipments

and from Armenia

to small parcels and

to the U.5.,

even food packages,

Jet Line ensures the tinely and safe

delivery of

y0ur cargj shipments.

we will provide you fast, efficient and

reliable service at reasonable rates. With over 25 years

experience in i nte rnati onal sh ip p i n g,

it is no surprise that Jet Line is the company of choice for all cargo services to Armenia.

1-$77-917-7

*4! B!i

a!.

37 4

i-!.ii

.::

Adobc

,&*se

s,*sif

w*r

@ r't'$

trliil

1sr"'J{ -B l'qii rSlt

;'t,.

a diaision of

!7q

dxgltmfit ,'{i";''f

r/1;7*'i'i/'ti

COVER STORY

Pniuatizing Anmeniab Enengy Distnihution Netwonlt Text and Photos by MATTHEW KARANIAN

rmenians are apprehensive about the pending privatization of their country's

electricity distribution network,

and

this anxiety has prompted a suggestion that some political leaders are fighting the privatization simply so that they can appear to be populists.

But the targets of the criticisms say they are merely trying to ensure that no one gets cheated in the process, and that there will still be plenty of power for hospitals and schools after the sell-off is comPlete. The National Assembly - Armenia's parliament - had stalled the privatization movement several months ago by insisting that the sale of the electric grid must be authorized by

a special bill. So they dropped the sell-off from the general privatization program for 1998-2000, and passed a special bill just for the electricity distribution network. This special bill, which was passed by the National Assembly on July 28, allows the pri-

vatization of power transmission lines in Armenia. The generation of electric power, which is not affected by the bill, will remain in government control. What this means is thatArmenia's regional distribution networks will be sold to private newly - probably foreign - investors. These private distribution companies would purchase

electricity - something in which government has failed miserably. The increased revenues will permit infrastructure improvements, and

will help

make the energy industry self-suffi-

cient. The industry could even become, for the flrst time, profitable. The govemment now loses money on every kilowatt of electricity that it produces. Armenia's energy predicament in the

region

unique. There are few natural

resources, and the country is squeezed on the

east and west by a blockade imposed by Turkey and Azerbaijan. Its Soviet-era nuclear power plant produces a surplus of power, but the Armenians have faced political and financial obstacles in selling the power to Georgia, its northern neighbor. And in the south, the Armenians have a power trading deal with Iran, which may be the intemational pariah of the day, but is Armenia's most stable and trustworthy next-door neighbor. Comparing Armenia's energy decisions with those made by neighboring countries is therefore perilous. Nevertheless, it is instructive to look at the recent experience of the Republic of Georgia.

- or sometimes in a city else no one has light. or has light, block There are no individual meters, and no individual kill-switches. So in Vake. where so many expatriates and business people live, and where most of the bills get paid on time, there's always light. In Avlabari, a lower income district inhabited mainly by Armenians, light is a four-hour long celebration, preceded and followed by apartment building

darkness.

At least this was the case until last year. That's when Georgia began to privatize its electricity distribution network with the sale to American Energy Systems (AES) of its Tbilisi network. AES immediately stopped the practice of treating the neighborhoods of Tbilisi disparately. After AES began operar ing the distribution network on January 4, 1999, \t decided it could not, in faimess, allow Avlabari to languish in the dark while Vake was bathed in light, simply because monetary receipts were higher elsewhere. So AES,

in Vake

than

which has its headquarters in

Virginia suburb just outside Washington,

Proponents of the privatization include the country's major political parties, and

electricity around the clock depends not merely upon whether or not you pay your

D.C., started to ration electricity citywide. Everyone, everywhere in the city, got about eight hours of power each day. AES is also one of four companies, all of them foreign, that is vying for control of parts of Armenia's electric grid. Their web site boasts "15 million end-use customers," and reports operations in 18 countries, ranging from Bangladesh to the UK. Sandra Ross, a

President Robert Kocharian. They predict that private owners will succeed in collecting revenues from the use of

utility bill. It

also depends upon whether your pay theirs. An archaic infrasffucneighbors ture has guaranteed that either everyone in an

company spokesman, refused to comment on the bidding in Armenia or on their activities in Georgia. "We could be bidding on 20 things

elecricity from state-owned utilities, such

the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, and would then distribute the power to consumers.

Gold and Dark in Georgia

In the upscale Vake neighborhood of Georgia's capital city of Tbilisi, there's always light. Other neighborhoods aren't so fortunate.

In Tbilisi, whether or not your home has

Armenia's energy predicament in the region is unique. There are few natural resoutres, and the Gountry is squeezed on the east and west by a Slockade irnposed by Turfiey and Azerbaiian. lts $ouiet-era nuclear power plant produces a surylus 0l power, but the Armenians haue faced Bolitical and linancial otstacles in selling the power. AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

COVER STORY at once," she says. "We're all over the world. We never comment from here." Michael Menteshejhvili, Georgia's Deputy Minister of Fuel and Energy, recalls the reaction from the public after the AES takeover. "The people in Vake were calling up and saying, well, you know the people in Vake," he says, with his voice trailing off. His meaning was clear. These were people who were not accustomed to deprivation. There was great apprehension, he told AIM during an interview at his office in central Tbilisi. And there were many who doubted that selling the nation's distribution network was advisable. Menteshejhvili says that today there is no doubt about the wisdom of privatization. "Before privatizing, the [state] distribution company paid the governmenr $250,000 per

month [for electricity.] This is a very little amount for the amount of electricity," which he estimates at roughly l0 million kilowafts daily. "Today we are getting $60,000. Daily," he says. He stops. He grins. He says it again.

lion for the distribution rights to the Tbilisi market of about 350,000 consumers. It guaranteed an additional investment in the company of $80 million for infrastructure repairs. "The mentality of some of the people is

that selling means losing it,"

says

Menteshejhvili about the fear some people expressed about the privatization of the distribution net. "But AES bought and they stayed here. They're not going to carry it away."

Privatizing Armenia Georgia's experience hasn't silenced the opposition in Armenia. Presidential spokesman Vahe Gabrielian says that much of this opposition is voiced for political gain. "Parliament is elected. They must play on

the sentiments of their voters, their constituents. It's a populist approach," he says. Vocal opposition is a way for assembly members to show their constituents that "they are very much interested in the country's future." Gabrielian doesn't question the sincerity of

"Every day!"

the Communist Party's opposition, however.

The privately owned company was able to collect old debts that had languished. Menteshejhvili has only one regret,'The technical situation is better now. lndividual switches, meters. Sub stations are being rebuilt, too," he says. "Ifprivatization had happened earlier, the results would have been even better." Menteshejhvili estimates that the rest of Georgia's distribution network will be sold off within a year or so. "It depends on the attractiveness to investors," he says. AES found the Tbilisi market attractive, apparently. This US corporation paid $35 mil-

They simply do not believe that anything should be privatized. There has been some pubIic perception that the Armenian Revolutionary Federation - Dashnaktsutiun, too, is opposed to privatization, perhaps because of their socialist ideology. But Armen Rustamanian, a representative of the party's supreme body, says, "We're not opposed. We are never against the idea of

privatization." Instead, he continues, "We are against the way it is done which does not help economic development. Privatization is necessary, but it should be done right. It should be profitable."

And Rustamanian cites "national strategy," in addition to mere profitability, when elaborating on the concems that his party has about privatization. "The idea is to not make the social situation worse," he says. 'This is not a question of [whether privatization or state ownership is] better or worse. The question is who can do the distributionjob properly," he says. The answer to this question is getting shorter and shorter. One hundred five companies were invited by Armenia to write proposals for the purchase

of the distribution

network. Fifteen of them responded wittr written proposals. There are now only four companies under consideration. In addition to AES, which is the company that was awarded ttre disaibution rights in Tbits| the companies vying forArmenia's markets are the Spanish company Union Penosa, the French company EDF, and the Swiss company ADB. There will be trvo distribution networks, each of which will be divided into two sections. One network will coverYerevan and the north of the republic, and the second will operate in the central and southem regions ofArmenia. Galustian says either one or two companies may operate the networks. ATender Committee will manage the privatization process, and Galustian pledges that all factions of the National Assembly may participate on the committee. He says that an "intemationally-known" law firm will represent the interests of Armeni4 but that a retainer has not yet been signed, and the identity ofthe firm could ttrerefore not be disclosed. Unlike in Georgia where privatization is expected to be completed nationwide within a year, no one has ventured to guess when Armenia's grid will be privately

owned.

Ihe Futune ol Anmenia's Nuclean Pouuen Plant Il I I

he word on the street is that Armenia

will

ctose its nuclear power plant by 2004. su, anyone who ias tivia in Armenia

while the plant was closed

from

1989

may well be apprehensive about what living conditions will be like without the power plant. The country was cold and dark without through most

1995

the plant, which is known as Metsamor, named for the ancient astrological site on which it's consffucted. The elderly died from cold while sitting in their homes. There was virtually no industrial activity. Metsamor "helped bring the country back from the energy dark ages," says Ambassador Jivan Tabibian, Armenia's head of delegation to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria. So can we really expect thatArmenia will

implies that the plant has been made safe and secure in recent years, and that it should not be closed prematurely.

Slavik Danielian, Deputy Director of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant Companythe official name of the Metsamor plant-is more obscure. "Any parent is prepared in his life that his child will get manied," he says. In other words, 'Every nuclear power plant in the world is going to close someday. But when, is another question." Vahe Gabrielian, Presidential spokesman, explains Armenia's commitment to the inter-

national community. "Yes,"

says,

"Armenia has indeed pledged to decommission the plant by 2(M. But there's a condition. "We will do that provided we have sufficient altemative sources of energy. The years 1992

to 1994 will not be repeated," he continues.

decommission Metsamor in 2N4?

If you ask someone who works in lnadequate Alternatives

Armenia's nuclear industry, you're not likely to get a straight answer.

Aram Gevorgian, the Department Chief ofArmenia's nuclear energy program asks a question of his own. "If we were going to kill a sick person, would we cure him first?" He

sources," he says. Today, that seems unlikely. Nuclearpower

currently meets roughly 40 percent of Armenia's energy needs. Thermal power fuels another 40 percent of the country's needs, and the balance is supplied by hydropower.

Altemative energy from sources such

Armenia has always contemplated that it would eventually decommission Metsamor, and that it might do so sooner than at the end of its projected useful life, which will arrive sometime around 2010 to 2016. Back in 1995, when the plant went back AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

online after a shut down that had lasted more than six years, an early closure was "part of the original understanding," says Tabibian. But the other part of the understanding was that Armenia would need to have alternative sources ofenergy. "ln 1996," says Gevorgian, "the government had estimated that it might develop alternative sources of energy within six to eight years." "That's where 2004 comes from. Nobody ever actually said 2004. We only said, in 1996, that we would shut down the plant in six to eight years if we had alternative energy

2OOO

wind, are unlikely to meet more than five percent of the country's needs [see related story.] Solar energy will not be adequate, either. And the energy gap that would be left by a Metsamor closure will not be met by increasing the country's reliance upon hydropower or

COVER STORY fossil fuels.

Hydrological resources are already stretched. Garen Galustian, Armenia's Minister of Energy, says, "It's impossible to increase hydro from Lake Sevan because of

ecological issues."

And since Armenia has no fossil fuel

"The people who are living here and

quake.

Nuclear Salety Concerns

Still, there was no evidence of radiation monitoring. A visitor is not offered any protective clothing or a badge to measure radia-

tice," he adds. Gevorgian says,'This [proposed shutdown] has nothing to do with safety and security. Since

working here are not any less concerned than Europeans or Americans. We have our families, our homes here. If there was a problem, we - our nation, our people - would be the first to lose out," says Gevorgian. Tabibian, Armenia's ambassador to the IAEA, is equally certain of the plant's safety, but from a more global perspective "safety issues can never be confined to the territory of the country where the plant is located." Therefore, he says, the intemational community is forced to be involved.

noose around Armenia's neck. 'This is what

until 1995, Metsamor should "theoretically" be able to operate through 2016, says Gevorgian. "Theoretically, but not in prac-

ous. The walls of the power blocks have been reinforced with steel girders, which crisscross up and down the interior walls, several stories

the blockade is all about," says Tabibian.

Europeans and Americans alike have been eager to see the plant decommissioned early because of their concems for the safety of the plant's operation. Metsamor was built in 1980, and has a design life of 30 years. But because the plant was off line for about six years, from 1989

pendent states, he says. "In some ways even better than the Russian plants."

of the safety measures were startlingly obvi-

tall. The concrete panels that form the fagade of the exterior of the plant have been tied together with steel I-beams that look like giant staples. And the control panels inside the building have been braced to prevent them from toppling over during an earth-

territory it would have to rely upon imports in order to bridge the nuclear gap with oil and gas. But this is unlikely to occur, until Turkey and Azerbaijan loosen the resources on its

1996 we have spent $40 million on safety." During a recent tour of the facility, some

tion

of the staff inside the plant wore protective clothing or radiation detecting badges, either. Of course, since Metsamor is closed for routine repairs and exposure. None

maintenance until Novembeq that may have been the reason employees at the main control panel smoked cigarettes and made Armenian coffee on hot plates. Gevorgian scoffs, and says these are the observations of a non-scientist. "If it is not safe today, then was worse yesterday." Armenia's plant is the best in the newly inde-

The IAEA monitors conditions

Metsamor to ensure that Armenia adheres to security and safety protocols. As a result of this monitoring, Tabibian is able to offer the

opinion that Metsamor "conforms to and complies with all its statutory obligations" under international treaties and protocols. Garen Galustian, Armenia's Minister of Energy, reiterates whatjust about everyone in the industry says: ifthere was a genuine safety concern, the plant would not remain open. "As you know, nobody pushed the Armenians to close it in 1989 after the big 1988 earth-

COVER STORY It was the Armenian govemment and the Armenian people who decided to close quake.

it." The reopening of the plant in 1995 was "unique," he says. "It is unique to re-open a plant after such a long shut down period. And it was a unique situation with the blockade," says Galustian.

"I think this was heroic work, and Armenia out of the crisis."

led

New Nukes Armenia has a short list of altematives to nuclear energy, thanks to its lack of natural resources, and an effective blockade by its neighbors to the east and west.

So even

Metsamor was the world's

safest and most secure plant, and even if it operated beyond 20O4, Armenia's future would still be clouded. Metsamor cannot operate forever. Indeed, it probably cannot operate beyond 2010, and certainly not beyond 2016, according to the country's nuclear experts. Because of all this, Armenia's best alternative to its nuclear power plant might just be another nuclear power plant. "From conception to operation, it's usually a six to eight year cycle" to build a new

plant, says Tabibian. "The complications are fundamentally fi nancial." Galustian, the Minister of Energy, acknowledges that building a new plant by 20O4 is '1mpossible," bottr logistically and financially. But Gevorgian, the Department Chief of

t/mcueno Caprer

CurNts AccouNrs Cer.nmo sv DrurscHn BANKAIFx. BRov { LLC Mrunnn Nr,v Yonx Stocr ExcHexcr Esmnussno 1800

Ara Ishkhanian Branch Manager, Senior Financial Advisor

FrueNcrm IuoEpnuoBNcn

nouel centered on the

Armenian Genocide. The

Arbitrary Sword takes the reader to a small uillage in )ttoman Turkeg in 1895 where Victoria, a young Armenian woman,

RETURNS

ulti

rid itself of its Armenian citizens. Thk book can be ordered through: Amazon.com.

Never Too Late or Too Early to Start Planning Retirement & Childrent Education

Youn FnnNcmr Goers Anr IMponr,cNT To Us I[r Hevn EenNro Oun CurNrs Cerr Nov & ExprnrrNcE Succnss wnn VeNcurno Cnptrer

Hill

Arbitrarg Sword

gouernment's attempt to

Fmnnlc StRetBcrns ro HELp Rroucr rsn

640 South

The

is an historical fiction

life's hardships and mately, the Turkish

Anr You Pru,prnrp ron

ltt

www,ArbitrarySword.com

must struggle to suruiue

Member NASD/SIPC

Iupecr Texrs CeN Hrvr oN Youn IxwsrMENT

Armenia's nuclear energy program, says he has the financing all figured out. He thinks Armenia could build a plant that would be suitable for its needs for only about $ I billion. Sitting in his air-conditioned office near Yerevan's Republic Square, Gevorgian takes

To obtain a si{ned copy by the author Please send S17.90 (115.95 plus s1.95s&h)

to:

Vision Press, P. O. Box 73, Brookline, MA 02446

2t3.629.2255

Address:

Street Suite 265 Los Angeles CA 90014 Email araish@pacbell.net

City:

Zip:-

State:

COVER STORY "It's not a shut down," he

says. "It's not as tuming the lights out, locking the door, and leaving. It's decommissioning. This involves long term storage of radioactive materials," he says. At tlre prices paid in Slovakia and Bulgari4 Armenia might just find that not having nuclear energy is more expensive than having it.

simple

difficult. It's not difficult to get money from

But Gevorgian is a scientist, and not a politician. Financing is likely to be more challenging than he predicts. Galustian says he has been "actively working with different donors" to try to find the money to develop alternative sources of energy-including an altemative nuclear power plant. This rrus hryen, bmuse as Thhbi4 te dfla mat, who dm woft with politicians, poin6 out, 'ahe caacity of foeign govenrrrns - thme in trc region

out a pad and paper and starts writing figures. 'oThere's l0 million Armenians in the world, and the plant will cost $l billion to

Armenians," he says. And the money he needs is notjust to build a new plant, but also to shut

build," he

down the old one.

tentip

has

says. He ignores a criticism

overestimated

Armenians. "So that's $10 years."

Gevorgian's

that he

the population

a year per person for l0

plan is to get every

Armenian in the world to voluntarily contribute $10 per year for l0 years, to finance a new power plant. He's not joking. 'It won't be

ard ltreir fiiends ad alies elsewlue, big ad snrall p.t tressle onAnnenia is nct limited to te nsrr

anA proceA:rcs wiftin tE IAEA hrenrational ard bilateral oryanizaliCIrs can trf a geat deal of pâ&#x201A;Źss,ue qrAnrpniato oonply, and those pessrnes arc rnt necessarily limited to fte insfrunrens available

Gevorgian points to the experiences of other countries that have recently decommissioned their nuclear facilities. The cost of shutting down Slovakia's

trcugh tE IAEA"

nuclear power plant was $366

Arrsiaffi oterulefl diltpcHern-fcrnqmr.

million,

he says.

And in Bulgaria decommissioning cost the nation $268 million. He's trying now to project whatArmenia's decommissioning cost will be.

t,lI

lindarewfrt

This

nras tfr ufuler mhnot

Armenia and to the world.

TJOSIPH

7300 WEST CAMINO REAL SUITE 232. BOCA RATON, FLORIDA 33433. TEL 888 213 1879. FAX 561 361 1925 1255PL.PHILLIPSQUARE,SUITElOO5.MONTREAL,QUEBEC,CANADA H3B3G.I .TE1.5148756182.FAX.514875 1419

e-mail : neiljoseph

prodigy.net

odemrrnissioring the old plant in a way that makes sense to

has to be done

eventeen hundred years ago, according to a fable, the stones of the hot Ararat Plain were cooled by winds that swept

down from the mountains and from [,ake Sevan.

The wind made life a bit more comfortable for an embattled man who the church would later declare to be a saint. Ever since, Armenians have referred to this wind flow as the Saint Gregory Wind. Today, scientists in Armenia hope that this same wind can be harnessed to help ease the country's energy predicament.

Wind energy is a "strong contingency plan" for Armenia, says Serge Adamian, an

need the monitor results," he says. Adamian and

others have been monitoring wind

s@s

and

weather paftems at several locations in Armenia. They expect to have complete resuls laterthis fall.

Eric Marjanian is encouraged by the pre-

liminary data he has seen. Marjanian is the local manager of a wind

project that is sponsored jointly by the Republic of Armenia and the Netherlands. This project, the ArmNedWind Project,

has

set up wind monitoring stations at five locations in Armenia. By the end of this year, it hopes to choose a site where wind turbines can be profitably operated. Adamian is working with the Cafesjian

If wind power is feasible, then Armenia could add wind-generated electricity to its power sources. The country currently relies upon nuclear energy for roughly 40 percent of its energy needs, and it is looking for altemative power sources before it can decommission its nuclear power plant. Start-up costs for harnessing wind power would be insignificant compared to the cost of building a new nuclear power plant. Building a wind farm with a l0 megawatt capacity

could cost $10 million to build, and another million dollars in legal fees. A new nuclear power plant might easily cost $1 billion. But whereas nuclear energy would be a major con-

energy consultant. Adamian has been studying the economic viability of wind-generated

Family Foundation, an Armenian American

tributor to Armenia's energy needs, wind

philanthropic organization, and the Republic

electricity in Armenia. 'We still don't know if it's possible. We still

of Armenia at a sixth location, which

might contribute no more than flve percent of the country's electricity, says Marjanian. Wind, says Adamian, is therefore just one

also have results by the end ofthis year.

may

lf urind power is feasible, then Armenia Gould add wind-generated electricity to its power sources. The country Gurrently relies upon nuclear energy tol roughly 40 percent ol its energy needs, and it is looking lor alternatiue power sources belore it can decommission its nuclear power plant. AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

COVER STORY Each of these 5O-meter-tall (150 ft.) units keeps a record of atmospheric pressure. air temperature, humidity, precipitation and wind speed.

ArmNedWind has set up one monitor at each

of five locations, on the

LakeArpi, at the Karachach

east shore

Pass, the Pushkin

Pass, the Selim Pass and atArdaneesh village on the northeast shore of Lake Sevan. In order to be economically feasible, says Ma{anian, a site must have consistent annual wind speeds of roughly eight meters (25 ft.) per second.

No Ouaint Windmills Here It's easy to have sentimental notions of windmills, like the old fashioned

limit

"important altemative among a portfolio of

own energy has no

energy sources."

SolarEn, Inc., a subsidiary of the Cafesjian Family Foundation, which has erected seven monitoring units at one site on the southeast shore of Lake Sevan, near he Zad gold mine.

Armenians have so far welcomed their wind research with indifference. "Nobody's

jumping up and down," says Adamian, whose

s. He is president

ones seen on

mid-western farms or Dutch postcards. But these arc not the kind of windmills that will help alleviateArmenia's dire energy shortage. Think of the old relic windmill as a hot air balloon. Think of the modern windmill as a jet airplane. The modern wind turbine is sleek and aerodynamic. The relic's wooden components are replaced with aluminum, steel or plastic. The relic is a bit of a loner, as well, whereas the modern replacement loves a crowd. A

One of the Preeminent Infertility Specialists in the United States Is Accepting New Patients! Shahab S. Minassian, M.D.,

Dr. Minassian, a respected

director of MCP Hahnemann University's Division of Reproductive Endocrinology in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, specializes in the latest fertility treatments, including:

and experienced Ob/Gyn,

c lnYitro Fertilization (IYF)

. lntracatoplasmic

Sperm

lniection (ICSI)

o lntrautenne lnsemination (includinq donorl

o Ovulation lnduction o lnfertilitrl Surgery

. Diagnosis andTreatment

P oly cg stir, Ov arian Sy ndro

has successfully cared for thousands of patients during his I6-year career. One of only 500 board-certifi ed infertility specialists in the United States, he completed his infertility training fellowship at lefferson

Medical College. Dr. Minassian is an innovative researcher with a special interest in alternative health. He is a member of the medical staffs of Hahnemann University Hospital, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Memorial, Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital, and Montgomery Hospital, and enriches each institution with his considerable expertise and caring approach. For information and appointments, call (215) 581-6200, (intemational callers: dial your country's international code + l-215-581-6200) or email us at: minassian@drexel.edu

COVER STORY wind

generated electricity project

Palm

Springs, Califomia, for example, uses a fleld

7,500 windmills. "It's just too costly to use one windmill to generate electricity," says Marjanian. "A local windmill is OK for a mechanical pump," and

this is how they are used in the US and in places with extensive rural areas, such as Argentina, where there are an estimated 320,000 solo windmills in operation. Armenia has large tracts of rural areas, too. But one of the benevolent legacies of Soviet industrialization is that every place in Armenia has access to the elecffic grid system. A remote location that might otherwise need to generate its own power, simply doesn't need to.

The future for wind power in Armenia, therefore, is in large wind farms that generate electricity that is then added to the electric grid. The Armenian government hopes to someday be able to generate as much as l0 percent of its electricity in this way, but this is still a dream. Setf-reliant individuals would still be better advised to install their own solar panels, says Marjanian. Energy from the sun is more

affordable than wind power for individual residences, where it isn't added to the coun-

try's electric grid. Solar is especially economical for heating water. This is where solar power beats wind power. Marjanian says he would like to see passive solar heating systems installed on all new resi-

estival

dential construction, to supplement the windgenerated power that he hopes to help develop. rl o@ tm wid a:d solrcat tr$ knt it tro

soh,e Arrrnia.'s

uragr sluage? 'It's late," says

Mtrjadan "Br[ Im nct sure it's

too

late."

SAVE 40o/o'7 0,o/a NERYDAY

NATION

Fll'$l Track l[guotlalloll$ Minsk Group US Co-Chair Carey Cavanaugh Talks Karabakh and Peace By SALPI HAROUTINIAil GHAZARIAN; Photos by MARTIN SHAHBMIAI'I/ARMENPRESS

I ll

mbassador Carey Cavanaugh, 45, represents the US as one ol the three co-chairs of the 0SCEs Minsk e rorp, charged with findin-g a peacetul resolution to the decade-old Karabakh conf lict. Together with

Illri:lruu;,fi ll,il'*0,r.'i#ll::gilJ:;:ilxliJJil,i?,Tii,)[llifl

llil:Jfl'ffi:1li

peace ment in August 1999. ln July, Cavanaugh toured the US, speaking to Armenian-Americans about the process and the potential dividends of peace.

tensions and some have religious overtones. They all come with a lot of history. The first meeting I had with the Abkhaz opposition, they started by saying that ever since Jason and the Argonauts, they had been mistreated and dealt with unfairly and the problem began

from there. You hear similar things in Armenia. All the conflicts have angles that affect Russia. They all also have some similar

problems in terms of the need for economic reform, and dealing with comrption and finding political stability and looking for ways to move ahead.

ln this [usiness ol conllict resolution, in the case of Armenia, there ate three brokerc, each pretty powerlul...

Which is good... Well, thatl the question. The alternative

would be to have btokers who are not so powerful, anddon'lhave such gleat interests in the region. ln Armenia's case, the brokerc are powerlul andhave interests in the region. Which is more effective?

0AlM: What did you do in your lomer lile? Gavanaugh: I was a university professor in Ohio, I taught Soviet and Eastem European politics. Then I moved to the State Department and very quickly started doing work on arms control and peacekeeping in European

politics. Before Armenia, I was involved with Greece and Turkey and the Cyprus

issue. In between, I was working on the Nazi gold problem that the US had in Switzerland. Your portlolio includes all of the conflicts in the region, including those in Georgia and Moldoua? I'm responsible for all the conflicts in the

territory of the former Soviet Union, except for Chechnya, which is viewed as an intemal problem in Russia. Some of the others, while they are intemal (the ones in Georgia, for example) there, the govemment wants US help. Moldova would like the US to help with Transnistria, and Georgia would like us to help with Abkhazia. Russia is not seeking outside assistance with Chechnya. Do you see any telationships in those various areas either in the nature of the conflicts or in the ways in which you have to work at lhem? There are similarities. Many have ethnic

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

I think the current practice set up for Armenia is working quite well. What we have in the current arrangement is a cooperative effort that brings together three major states France, the US and Russia - all of whom have vetoes in the UN Security Council. They bring a lot to the table in terms of support for helping find peace, and if achieved, support for helping implement peace. It seems that some ol the dillerences between the US and Russia have been accen' tuated during the past year. That hasn't made this process hatder? think in some areas, interests have become clearer in the last year. I think, given the problem in Chechnya, there has been a greater understanding in Moscow that it is in their interest to have less instability on their

periphery. Our hope

is they will be more

engaged on working on a solution between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In our minds, it is

very much in Russia's interest to settle all 71

NATION these conflicts on their periphery. It allows for economic development in the countries themselves, and Russia can take part in this and benefit from it. Basic political stability clearly would be in Russia's interest, too.

Therc is settlement, and hen, lherc is setilement at any Gost. I think that in none of them is there settlement at any cost. Our view, and I think the one shared now by my Russian colleague, is that the settlement has to be one that the parties

again when he was in Washington in February,

and just saw Kocharian

Somewhat positive?

Washington in June. He has been very engaged and very clear

The understanding is clear in Tirkey ttrat it would be beneficial to have a very different relationship with Armenia. President Suleiman Demirel in fact made statements to that effect and started helping foster small steps that point in the right direction.

in his preparedness to help them in any way he

can. But first, the leaders themselves would need to make more progress. The President has underscored that we will do what we can to make an agreement work and to help them

find a common understanding.

Did we see those small steps? Sure. Speeches near the border. Pointing out that it would be useful to have the bridges to Armenia reopened, trade reestablished, meeting with Kocharian in Istanbul in November, and meetings benreen mayors from both sides of the Armenian-Tirrkish border.

What this president or some other third party Gould perhaps do, is take into consid-

But what happened in Karc with

the Armenian delegation

being preyented lrom anending a Gonlelence: that kind 0f thing doesn't help. No, butjust as there are divisions

inside of Armenia and inside the Diasporaon how to deal withTurkey, what happened in Kars shows ftrat there are divisions inside of Ttrkey on how to deal with Armenia.

Does

also show two other

things? Does it show that Ankara's understanding of realpolitik hasn't

penetrated? Does it show that the US does not wield the kind ol power

and inlluence over ih NAT0 ally Tu*ey that Armenians wish it did, Above: Cavanaugh with President Kocharian. Previous page: Cavanaugh with US Ambassador to Armenia,

or that the US itself wishes it did? It's very important that the

Michael Lemmon.

Turks understand the value of

themselves can

live with. It

to be a mutual accommodation that meets their needs. has

One ol the advantages ol having the stronger powers as b10ke6 is that the bully pulpit can be used. All the commentaries 0n the recenl Middle East negotiations noted the trio: an ailing leader [of Palestine,l a p]ecarious and weak head 0l government [in lsrael] and an American presidenl very interested in seeing results. ln the Gaucasus scenario: the Armenian leader is in a precarious position, there is an aging leader in Azeftaijan, bul where s the determined US President? He's also there and interested in seeing results.

In fact, in the last nine months,

hesident Clinton has done more on this than anyone ever has before. He met both presidents Kocharian and Aliyev [at the OSCE

Summitl

Istanbul, saw them again in

January in Davos, Switzerland, saw Aliyev

eration the lactors that are 0n the ground history, genocide, tecent war - and add new elements thal would allow the two pailies to move towalds an undetstanding in new ways. Turkey can be that new lactor. This is perhaps an oppodunity lor the US to show Turkey that its own internal historical and political contradictions are making it diflicult to lind peace in the Caucasus. I would say that we have been engaging Turkey and Turkey clearly is part of this process, through its support of Aliyev and Azerbaijan to help find a resolution to the conflict. Part of a possible settlement entails Turkey as well, and we have talked with the Karabakh leadership about what the relationship with Turkey would be, and how the situation with Turkey could change with peace.

We have engaged the Turks on that at the highest level, and found them to be somewhat positive.

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

change

in their relationship with

Armenia. It's very clear that the communities in Eastern Anatolia understand that it would be useful to have the border open. They've

lobbied for that. It's very clear in talking to businessmen in Istanbul that there is a strong desire to have trade and greater dealings with

Armenia. It's also obvious that the historical past between the two countries is a difficult one and a tragic one, and that has also been an impediment in moving the two peoples closer together.

One

found

of the most surprising

is how little Turkish

things I've

people Armenian people tend to know about

and one 1915,

another. There were the tragic events of just a few years after that, the border was sealed as Armenia was incorporated into the then

Soviet Union, and there was virtually no contact with Turkey until the 1990s. So you have almost a cenfury where there is no normal contact. Today, when people inArmenia talk about

NATION To move Peace along, who do You think has the upper hand in the Turkey'Azerbaiian

Tirkey, they're talking about the Ottoman Empire. The image, the attitudes, the feelings,

they are all hard and difficult but they are cemented in the past. I think the Turkey of today is different and the Armenia of today is different, too, and Tirks don't truly understand Armenia either. The nature of the culture

relationshiP?

Countries obviously have their own

interests. Turkey will do what is in its national interest, but it's also been very clear that it is prepared to support Aliyev. And Aliyev has been uncomfortable with the current situation (occupied lands, refugees) being seen as an acceptable status quo. Turkish support for him in the form of a blockade is part of that'

though, tells me that there is no problem with them dealing with one another once the barriers that exist between them are removed.

One ol the most surprisinq

thinos l've lound is how little Turkish people and Armenian oeorle tend to know about one anoitrer. There were the tragic euents 011915, then iust a lew after that, the border was vears -sealed as Armenia was incor' oorated into the Soviet Union, and there was uirtuallY no contact with TurkeY until the 1990s. So vou have almost a centurv where there has been nb normal Gontact. But as recently as the 1990s, Amenians were massacred in Azerbaiian, Turls closed

the Armenian-Turkish border. AII this rein' forces the old memories instead ol introduc' ing changes in that image. Because of that, it will take some work to get a different image and a different attitr'rde between the two people. And I think it shows how high a premium there is on a settlement' A sefflement goes beyond simply Armenian Tirkish relations and Armenia Azerbaijan

Where does the US stand when a NAT0 member is blocking the US, and the West's desire to move east? I don't think I would describe this conflict as a situation of holding back NAIO's desire to move east. In US terms, I would describe this area as an area where we want to see a settlement because we see it in our humanitarian, political and even economic interests in the region. There is a lot ofvalue in finding a settlement here.

Confidence-building measures were built into the vailous US aid packages lor the region, but the money is not being spent. This last trip that the Minsk Group cochairs took in July focused on future eco-

nomic development and on confidencebuilding measures (CBMs.) We focused on

how to strengthen the ceasefire, how to reduce the potential for loss of life along the

border, how

to improve

communications

between local offlcials on opposite sides and local military commanders. The two governments set up a telephone line across the border in July, we ananged for it to stay

place. Now, a military commander in Ijevan (Armenia) can call his counterpart in Kazak (Azerbaijan) and explain if there are

relations; itjust ushers in a different viewpoint and attitude and framework for all of them.

problems along the border. We crossed the

It has almost become a chicken and egg

ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan,

thing, hasn't it? One needs to be able to imagine peacelul neighborhood in order to lay

down arms, yet without laying down arms' there will not be peace with the neighbors' We have been very encouraged in this past year that the leaders have had a very itrong dialogue. They have dealt very seriously with one another. They have told their pubtc about their preparedness to do serious compromise to get Pace. We've found a very strong willingness to help financially implement such a peace within the intemational communify. That willingness could manifest itself in a way that would create a multiplier effect in the region.

border at a place where there has been shooting and killing. Even though there is a

in fact about 100 people have already died this year. Some die in random shootings,

some die stepping on mines, for some it is never fully clear how they died, but they all get listed as lost lives. We want to find ways

to reduce that. How much ol what is budgeted, whether

it's GBMs or other things, is done in consul' tation with the authorities on the ground? It would be illogical to fund programs the governments would deny the people the ability to participate in, and it would be illogical to buy equipment that the governments wouldn't use. So it is obviously done in con-

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

DOLPHIN PUBLISHERS MARKETING PUBLIC INFORMATION PUBLISHING Dolphin Publishers - a versatile company that will helP You develop and implement the best marketing strategY in Armenia for your organization. We will do everything to give your company the image it needs

to succeed in Armenia. Our experienced specialists Provide the most professional marketing and publishing services.

SPEGIALIZING IN Developing and Printing brochures, booklets, newsletters, catalogs and other marketing materials. Preparing information videos and commercials.

Helping your organization buY the most effective media time. 0rganizing conferences and seminars for any number of partictpants.

0rganizing oPening ceremonies and Presentations.

22 lsahakian Street Suite 9 Yerevan Armenia

(3741) 56'71'81 E-mail: delfin@arminco. com www.delfin.am Phone/Fax:

Dolphin Publishers will make sure that everything we do lor you is at the highest level ol professionalism.

iltllt fililllnr IIIDNGllII Tun Fnsr & ONry Lucer Snnvrcns

Fnu

SpEcrermuc lN REer Esrern m AnuEum

Tred of burcauortic ddnes? I7ant to invest in ermenlai Not surc who to talk toi Worried ahout working in a shange.and .h*grg economic environment? Contact us, New Century and Rights Consulting Company, where tusted legal and real estate professionals will guide and advisi you

through an economy in nansition.

We can gve you a competitive edge to succeed with our J<nowledge and experience. New Century and Rigfits works in partnership with its clients whose success is our first concern, whether in real estate or other businesses, inheritance issues and protecting your rights. Our experience includes work with interna-

tional development programs and the individual client. Regardless ofyour interest or size, you will receive our dedicated

attention to help you succeed in fumenia. Contact New Century and Rights and you will experience what it means to be surrounded by top-notch trusted specialists ready to handle your business affairs. For information contact us:

(3741) s6.e3.9e (3741) s3-33.e8 22 Isahakian Street Suite 9 Yerevan

Armenia

E-mail ncr@arminco.com

NATI ON sultation with them and it's done with a perspective on the long-term and how it would benefit the long-term situation. It seems as if the administration - and not just this administration - wants seueral things lrom the region, not at! of which are simultaneously possible. What exacily

are US oil interests in the region and how do they douetail with the politicat interests and the search lor peace? How impoflant is the Balru-Ceyhan pipeline to the goyernment, euen though lhe private sectol doesn't seem to be willing to pay lor it? How realistic is building an ertra-expensive

pipeline just so it doesn't pass through Armenia? Our oil interest in the region is a clear one. It's a desire to foster multiple routes for

the

development

Caspian

energy

resources. We have been very clear that the use of multiple pipelines and the development

of the east-west corridor has an economic benefit by providing a variety of sources and options to get the energy to market.

Our view has been that peace is very much a separate issue. We have a very strong view that peace and stability in this region is

to everyone. It shouldn't get wrapped around the oil-pipeline question, you shouldn't have people try to have the pipeline go this route and tum left here and beneficial

right there to help advance the peace process. Where the oil pipeline is built should be on commercial criteria, as you said. What we do want is to create a better economic situation in the region. You have to improve the situation on the ground to give the people a hope for tomorrow. If you get peace, you may change the reality on oil and gas. I'11 give you a concrete example. In July, when we were in Karabakh, we looked at a

former gas pipeline that had run from Azerbaijan to Karabakh, then from Karabakh to Armenia, and then from Armenia to Nakhichevan. In a peace scenario, that might all be rebuilt and I suspect with international money. That would be yet again an alternate route that could provide gas in the region and perhaps even to Turkey. But you couldn,t build it today. But when a proiect as large and international and non-proprietary as the TRAGECA Transpoilation Corridor is still being co-opled by Azerbaijan which says no euery time Armenia is mentioned, itb hard to believe lhe

ability to keep auurtion focused on

a peace

pocess

and to keep pressure on finding a mutually acceptable settlement.

I have two choices. 0n the one hand,

thal peace will change things for the better. 0n the other hand, I can took at historical records and press reporls, and think thal the relationship is never going to get any better, so why give up what is in hand? ff you find a solution, and particularly a comprehensive one wittr a durable solution,

invites a very different reality. With a peace deal, there would be no logic for any of the parties to take punitive steps against a neighbor. Do you believe that if a settlement was found,

the borden opened, tade reestablished, the blockade with Turkey ended, hundreds of millions of dollars of intemational money coming into the region, intemational private invesfinent coming into the region, that the counties themselves would find ways to impede and stop that?

What may have been won on the field of battle can be lost in the war of reality. The reality on the ground in Armenia is not a par-

ticularly promising one. The reality in Azerbaijan is not nearly as promising as they had hoped either. This country will not be restored and prosperous in the way it could or should be by oil and gas revenue alone. It can't develop a full-faceted economy with just those resources being addressed. It will go on the typical roller coaster that affects all oil-dependent states. ln this search lor peace, Amenians look - among them the US, lor all sorts ol reasons, including the

lo various Gountties lor help

presence ol a large Armenian-American Gommunity. Yet, it appears that lor the US, the

Middle East is much more vita! than the Gaucasus. And, lo the extent that the Caucasus is important, you are the US ambassador with the Karabakh conllict portthe Caspian Basin Energy Diplomacy porffotio (John Wolf) is also a speciat advisor to the president and secretary ol state. To you, a title makes a difference?

folio, but lhe US ambassador with

I think that the proximity to the president makes a difference. Do you think that he is nuly closer to the president?

othel scenarios.

Aliyev and others feel that if projects like TRACECA move forward, it undermines their

can look at the status quo and see that things are only getting wo6e, and ! have to believe

I go by whal the tiile tells me, and it wonies me that Gaspian oil rcquircs a special advisor.

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

NATION And, I wonder how peace is delined by these

three dilferent players: Armenia, Aze$aiian and the US.

What's important is when you do have agreement,

it is presented to the broader pub-

lic. You can't simply have an

agreement

of how it is

between two presidents that's supported by

defined. It is a definitive settlement that meets all of their needs. It has to be one that can be supported by the populations in the region. It is one that will be supported by the three major powers, something that will meet intemational norms. I don't think there is a strong definitional split between how Armenia sees peace and how Azerbaijan sees peace. In Karabakh, too, there is an understanding of the need for peace.

the OCSE and the co-chairs, if it doesn't have broader support in the population. You need to be able to take these things to parliament, have a referendum. Then it is a durable solution. You can't have someone say that's not Armenia's agreement, that's Robert Kocharian's agreement. You want to be able to say the people in Armenia and in Azerbaijan supported this.

There is a common perception

What may have been won on the field ol battle Gan be lost in the war ol reality. The reality on the ground in Armenia is not a particularly promising one. The reality in Azerbaiian is not nearly as promising as they had hoped either. This country will not be restored and prosperous in the way it could or should be by oil and gas tevenue alone. lt can't develop a full-laceted economy. lt will go on the typical roller coaster that atfects all oil-dependent states. During the Palestinian-lsraeli discussions, one ol the things that became very clear was that their publics were not preparcd. I think that in some of these areas it is

very hard to prepare the public before you have a very clear understanding of what the settlement looks like. If you look at the situation in the Middle East, you can see how the status of Jerusalem became such a central issue. There are things in the settlement on Karabakh that would be the same in terms of sensitivity. It would be hard if not folly to try to go into them in full detail, before you actually have agreement on them. International agreements often have aspects that are only sorted out and defined in the final hour. But

you explain them in conjunction with the agreement in total. It's very easy to take a small piece and attack it.

ls it fair t0 say that the reactions to the

last proposals however incomplete they were in their publicized form, kind ol slowed down the process? I think in Armenia today, it's hard to be confident that any proposal will be readily embraced by the entire political spectrum. The divisions that characterize Armenian pol-

itics are significant. You see that in the Diaspora as well. It means that it would require a significant political effort to sell a solution. I think the Armenian govemment can do that. Robert Kocharian has shown by virtue of where he is today that he has very strong political skills. Would you make the same kind ol analy' sis lor Azerbaijan's domestic siluation? No. Aliyev feels more comfortable in his ability to convince the population to go along with him. The divisions also exist in Azerbaijan but theirs is less signiflcant than the ones that exist in Armenia. There is also less political infighting today in Azerbaijan than in Armenia. Does that mean that Kocharian operates democratic envilonment, and Aliyev uses more strong-arm tactics? I'd say Aliyev's more secure in his position than Kocharian is. He's been in this position for a long time. Kocharian has not been the president of Armenia for the same amount of time. Kocharian also must recognize the difficulty in dealing with Karabakh and solutions on Karabakh, since this was a problem for former President Levon Ter Petrossian, too.

in a more

0n the other hand, President Kocharian is lrom Karabakh. That's

big plus. It's made it possible to have

an engagement between him and Aliyev ttrat most people in Karabakh are comfortable with knowing Kocharian will adequately and effectively address their interess even if they're not necessarily sitting at that table. They are informed of the dialogue both by Kocharian and by the Minsk Group

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

cochairs.

2OOO

ARTS

finar Leadlllu lhe Way Istanbul-Based Group Revives the Armenian Folk Song in Turkey By DoR0THEE FORMA

ll the residents of the Istanbul apartment building where musician Sezar Avedikian Iives forcibly get acquainted with Arrnenian sotgs. Mruzaffer Teyze, an elderly wortiln, lives right above Avedikian's apartrnent and hears everything. So, whenAvedikian's goup gave a concer! she

is, at least we can give an answer."

Many of the songs in the CD are no longer heard in the villages of Anatolia and some come from the collection of Mihran Tumagan (1890-1973), a sflrdent of Komitas, who in the 1930s collected songs amongArmenian immigrants in America. Other songs like ' Hala Hala Ninnoyi" and 'Es kisher Hampartsum e" can still be heard inAntakya and Diyarbakir. Knar members had to tackle another prob-

and all their neighbon were presented with free tickets. At the start of every song Muzaffer Teyee [Turkish for aunt] nudged the person sitting next to her. "I know this song," she said,

lem. Having lived most

beaming.

the middle of the program, Avedikian acknowledged her presence. "It was a wonderful moment," remembers Avedikian. "People still ask me, how's Muzaffer Tbyze?' Tirday one of ttre topselling CDs in Tiukey is Amenian Fok Musb of Anaolra by Avedikian's ensemble called Knar [Armenian for lyre.] Knar's six members areArmenians with roots in ffierent parts of Anatolia- They all grew up in Istanbul.

Knar's Anadolu Ermeni Halk Miizigi (Armenian Folk Music of Anatoliq Kalan Muzik Ltd. CD13l, www.kalan.com) is very popular inTurkish intellecnral circles where CD players are more common. The group was

founded

each other

1992 by young people who knew from their school club in Kumkapi, a

suburb of Istanbul. Initially, they accompanied a

folk dance group. But later they decided to sing as well, and formed the Knar ensemble in 1995. Eaming a living with faditional music is virtually impossible, saysAvedikian, who plays tar (a lute wittr body that is hollowed out of a single piece of wood and six sfiings) and baglama (a miniature buzuki). In facl recently they had to decline a live daytime TV performance. Avedikian explains, "One of us is a teacher, one is a jeweler, I have my own business. But, despite being busy, we [y to make time. Once or twice a week, we meet at someone's home after dinner and reheane until midnigh! or later. My Turkish neighbors are very considerate and do not complain about the noise. I don't think this would bepossible in aEuropeancity, where people are very punctual about their bedtime." The zuma player, Sirak Sahrikyan practices at home, in bed, with the covers pulled over his

of their lives

Istanbul, their ears were attuned to the popular "ttirhi," and they had no knowledge of playing

haditional instruments like the duduk. So, when a friend taveled to Armenia, he rehrmed with a video. "Here is your teacher!" he

said. He had

ta@

musicians

professional

in Anrrcnia who

patiently showed each part of instrument explaining how to hold it and where to place the fingen. Knar's members taught themselves the resl The group tlre

Sezar Avedikian and Knar

revive, preserve and perform Armenian music traditions

gives regular concerts in Istanbul

of Anatolia

for

Armenians who bring their Turkish friends. The presentation is always in

head. The D)rna, a flute-like insrument that looks like a wooden tumpet, is a little too loud for the most understanding of neighbon. Knar's initial repertoire consisted of songs they had heard from Armenia. These were the only Armenian songs they knew. But in 1996, as they toured in the Netherlands, an ethnomusicologist in the audience wondered why Knar didn't play its own music fromAnatolia. The band began to focus on Annenian songs

ftomAnatoli4 orrattrcron what was leftof them. Researching Armenian songs is a stenuous and time-consuming task. 'Iil'e didn't have tre capaci-

ty," says Avedikian, "But in the last several decades, many Armenians fiom Anarolia have moved to Isanbul, and so we 'caught'them trele," he explains. 'We made old people sing songs

tom

their villages and copied tlrenf right down to tlre dialect While tlrose songs may have been sung without insfrumenb, we perform trem as authentically as possible. Now orn aim is to presewe thern If someone asks whatArmenianAnalolian music

Turkish. The fact that they don't perform ouside Istanbul is due to the lack of time, rct an absence of invitations. In December 1998, during the Istanbul Music Festival, Knar's concert and a performance by the Kurdish singer Reso were

abruptly cancelled, because these performances might serve an 'ideological purpose.'

Resulting protests in the Ttrrkish media actually increased Knar's popularity. "In general, we give concerts without any problem," says Avedikian. In March, Knar was again on tour in the Netherlands. The last concert was in Uftecht, before a mixed Dutch, Armenian and Tirkish audience. Upon hearing the familiar melodies fromAnatolia some could barely hold back their tears. When lead singer Thtiana Bostan started a song from the region

Van in her crystal clear voice, they jumped up and strrted to dance. Others followed, unable to resist. Then Avedikian put aside the taa leaped to the dance floor and gracefully led the 'halay'' while the other Knarmembers played

on. !

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

THE ARMENIAN PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY

Invites You to Its Year 2000 Banquet Honorirrg the Professional Couple of the Year

RONALD A. ALTOON

ALICE E. ALTOON

Architect and 1998 National President of The American Institute of fuchitects

Los Angeles Superior Court, Central District

Judge

(Donors to the APS Helping Hands Fund and ApS Scholaiship- Fund will be acknowledged in the_banquet booklet) (Black tie optional, but encouraged)

Saturday, October 28,2OOO at 7:00 P.m. Brandview Collection, 109 East Harvard Street Glendale California Vatche and his Band

mail $80 per person by Octobe r 20,2000 to the APS, 5055 Coldwater Crnyon, Unit 201, Sherman Oaks, CA9l423' Fo, -ot. information please call Hasmik at (818) 766-1338' Please

Beast on the Moon Richard Kalinoski's award winning play, Beast on the Moon, the story of Genocide

survivors immigrating to the US

the 1920's, opened on August 24 in Los Angeles at the Fountain Theater. The play, scheduled to run until September 25,20Cf, is directed by Edwin Gerard Hamamdjian. Kalinoski, who is of Polish desceng was manied to an Armenian American. He nrmed the stories of the Armenian experience into a

$aened $paces play which was first sAged

1996. Since then,

Beast on the Moon has played to excellent reviews, in 25 cities in the US, from Rochester,

New York to Louisville, Kentucky, as well as 20 European and Souttr American cities, in five languages. Hamamdjian, a native of Los Angeles, resides in Paris, and was invited back

to direct this production by the Fountain Theater's artistic dirpctor Deborah l,awlor who had been looking foranArmenian-themed play.

Robert Barsamian (above) had just moved

to Dallas from New York when he was shot during a robbery at a car wash. As he spent months recuperating, he developed an identi-

fication with victims, including victims of genocide. His mother's and grandmother's stories, which had been a part of his life growing up in Massachusetts, informed his art, and he has been involved with large installation pieces ever since. His fint show on the subject of the Armenian Genocide appeared in Texas, l0 years ago, complete with incense burners

and portraits

the Turkish leaders who

ordered genocidal massacres.

In the current exhibit at the

Front, lelt to right Actors

Buck Kartalian, Franck Beaulieu, Anna Der Nersessian. Michael Goodfriend and director Edwin Gerard Hamamdjian. Photo: Alexis Miles.

Back, lelt to fight:

Gompetition lon Young Uiolini$t$ Levon Chilingirian (UK) and Phillippe Graffin (France) performed Bach's Concerto for Two Violins in D minor with the National Charnber Orchesta of Armenia (NCOA) in early June. Violinist Chilingirian, who heads the L,ondon-based Chilingirian Sting Quartet was in Yerevan for the first lrvon Chilingirian String Competition. This first year, the competition was resfticted to violins and nine young people entered the difficult progam. Judges Aram Gharabekian, Medea Abrahamian, Svetlana Navasardian and Rlwmd Mirzoyan

from Armenia, together with Graffin and Chilingirian chose Martin Yawian (17) and Gevorg Gharabegian (18) as joint first pdze ($1250 each) winnen and special prizes were awarded toAni Batikian and Ruben Kosemian. Awards were also grven to the teachers of the top winnen and to the best pianist. In the final

round

of the competition, each violinist

per-

formed a Mozart concerto with the NCOA, to capacity audiences, under the direction of Gharabekian. Funding for the first and second years has been made possible by confibutions

from

HSBC

Florida

Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, Barsamian, 53, uses lace, a material which adomed Armenian homes, and which genocide survivors sold to missionaries and others to earn money. Barsamian's lace also reminds him of his grandmother. The installation, entitled Sacred Spaces, ran May through August, stretched across five rooms, covering the various aspects of Genocide. Because ofbudget and space requirements, "it is very difficult to find support and venue for such intallations," said Barsamian. "I have had the good fortune to have the support of the Jewish community and other ethnic groups, unfortunately not of the Armenian corffnunity."

Bank and the

Iondon Armenian community. Next year, the competition will include all stringed insauments

and Chilingirian hopes, with additional funding, to change to a chamber music festival in which artists from Armenia play wittr guests invited from other countries. the focus

Photo,

front, cenlet, Ieft to

tight Violinists Phillippe

Graffin of France and Levon Chilingirian of the UK, sunounded by members of

the National Chamber 0rchestra of Armenia.

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

Photo: Parik Nazarian.

2OOO

frfiiri Lilij iii f lli ii:lrlii!]#ll i

lllfl

Uahe's '$ensuality' Vahe Berberian appears to have discovered the ideal medium which combines his painting, acting and directing: nudes. By incorporating live human models and bringing in the physical element into his artwork, Berberian has given life to his previously two-dimensional work and brought it into the 'stage' of the living.

At the June 8 opening reception of his 'sen-su-al-I-ty' art show at Thomas Levin, West Hollywood, Berberian painted on four nude models in front of a captivated audience. Berberian integrated the nude models with his backdrop of two 4'x 6'canvases creating a living canvas where, upon completion, "the artwork looks back at you and loves you in retum," said Berberian.

Panaianou in Beinut Sylvia Agemian's Musee Sursock of Beirut

exhibited Sergei Parajanov's collages and designs during the monttrof July. Underthe auspices of the Armenian and French embassies in

kbanon, the exhibition featured works from Yerevan's Parajanov Museum. Its director, Zaven Sargsian worked together with Agemian to display the Soviet filmmaker's cinematic and other works in the lrbanese capital - the 3lst such exhibition outside Armenia since the museum's founding in Yerevan in 1991. The filmmaker, who died a decade ago, produced

unfiaditional films about traditional themes from the cultures of ttre Caucasus. The Soviet authorities alternately tolerated his worh and incarcerated him.

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

\l N I iil

MourHry

ililil tl il D ililt tRI

BTEFrNGS oN

CnrrrcAl Issuns

P0llll(I

TllttRIDAY offoBIR tooo rHE 2000 US CoNcnESSroNAr ErscrroNs THE Recu FoR CeuronNrCs 27ruDrsrnlcr California's 27th congressional seat - Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena - is a must win for both Republicans and Democrats' The Rogan-schiff race is one of the most talked about and closely contested ,orgr.rrioral elections in the country. The winner, representing the largest Armenian Diaspora community, *ittp'try a key role in shaping uS rorei*n pol,ru rocarissues

ffiffii,I*:l:3:n:::,^ffiffi111ITJ,','L1I,'JI

i:lx::aiand

THs HoNoRABLE Jeuus RoceN (R-CA) RspunrrceN ceNprpRrr (rNcurrlnENr) - 27rn GoNGRESSToNAT DrsrRrcr Rogan, a member of the commerce and Judiciary committees, was a leader in the House effort to impeach President Clinton. The second term House of Representatives member has also been a leading advocate for Armenian issues on

Capitol Hill. His first overseas trip was to Armenia and Nagorno Karabalih in 1999.

THp HoNoRABTE Aoeu Sculrr (D-CA) Druocnenc CeNploern - 27ru CoNcnrssroNAr. Dlsrnrcr schiff, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a second term member of the california State senate. Instrumental in securing $500,000 for a documentary film on the Armenian Genocide, Schiff, if elected, will be the firsr Democrat to represent the 27th congressional district since the 1930s.

Ar BnmDVrEsr CorrscnoN

Dinner 7:30 pm. Speaker(s) 8:30 pm. Donation $28 for AIM subscribers, $32 for non-subscribers.

109 East Harvard Street

Glendale, California

Reservations are required,

ptease.r[

I l8.l4d.lrl,

SPECIAt INVITATION

WWW.ARI ENIADIASPORA.COM lNVlTE, IOU to p.roront yowr Arute,nth,-bored, yojec*s on, th,Ls ri,te. sulub 500 word,e tlut dorcthoyotu orga/ rciaation, (or yojeh) in Artil",ttia,. P|*aro protitro ddilll a.bout ptrtposo, frotra.u.o' tn?lrr4lultlltron atd, b4*. Ako p.rouilo contart inforw,atbn in ordcr to a,llour innrubl, inlbitraa.l,r to liak ow uttth,yowa*r,l"yottr projut. Tke worl1 r &o lbnitt WWW.ARJTAE N IAD

lAt

PO RA.

iruobwut

COM failbatp,r attitto indirilual, an^d, orya.

in,thp dt-t"lr?44r/4t 0f th.o strrctutu for Armznth,-Dia,rporo coop<tatiow. Data, baru danhpaunt, oorkhl youVr cotuVositiotr,, ta,rk w.atr^ayutttt, nirzah"tu,l, retowco

iauttft*ioa

i,rruzt oxyloratitru--al.1, of thoro an"d,

tii,r ite. Joint{tzproczts. Hareyour WWW. A

lrouFt, ouu

tum/t

N I A D I At PO RA.

ray. C

otlt

hae

fu,wr,

l+i,rtory,

burtaztr an^oLawnuctal,infornztbnabout

for thz Durpora

Cluk it out!Joiwt*o

and,

wro rdlltake plarz on opinitn, di,tcurrioru

lrwuuhl popalatbwfl'

dzta, baso of Diaryora, yofusionalr.

procerr.

Tx: xEwEsr LtNt( rN THE TOOO-vEAR-ot D cHAIN

ArmeniaDiaspora

e:S

THE OFFICIA1

'ITE

OF THE ARMENIADIA'POBA (ON;ERENCE

How I Eot

lhis $hot

'hoo, hoo'

By Armineh Johannes

,fur

Illi| l'r

i1r i.iirr,

I took this photo in the region of Gavar

(near Sevan Lake), in the village of Noraduz. This village is known for its old cemetery in which lie thousands of khachkars dating between the 9th and l5th centuries. They say ttrat when the great Mongol leader Tamerlane advanced on Armenia, the villagers dressed the khachkars in sheets. Thmerlane saw these monstrous figures and thought an army of giants

awaited him. The village was spared.

I arrived in Noraduz late one afternoon to take photos at sunset when the light is ideal. A number of elderly shepherds walked through the cemetery bringing back the villagers' sheep and cows from a day's grazing. When the elderly shepherds approached, they seemed to be pleasantly surprised to find me taking photos. I was taken aback by their simplicity and naive questions. 'Where are you from,' they asked me, 'How is life in France, is it better than in Armenia, are you married, do you have children, how much do you earn?' No question was off limits or too personal.

Suddenly one of the shepherds noticed that the herd was scattering throughout the cemetery. She raised the tree branch which had been doubling as a walking stick, and started yelling out 'hoo, hoo'and chasing them back. The other two remained seated. Were they too old? Was this the division of labor? I couldn't tell.

-Armineh Johannes

is a Paris-based photographer whose work

has appeared in various international publications, including AlM.

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

By Aucn NnvnsARGrAN

TWENTIETH CENTURY IRANIAN.ARMENIAN PAINTERS This coffee-table album will lead you to the Orient, seen and understood ttrough the eyes of Armenian painters. You will be charmed not only by the unique way of life, national customs, but also by the original artistic language of the painters

who depia this world. The album contains 200 pages,

with more $an 220 color reprints representing the works of 55 artists. Hard cover 9" x12".

Iwould like to order

I would like to NeMs

order -

copy(ies) of

ARMENIAN WOMEN OF THE STAGE This bilingual coffee-table book presents the life stories of more than sixty Armenian women of sound and stage in Armenia and Diaspora (circa 1840-1999). Siranoush, Lucine Amara, Gohar Gasparian, Siroon Mangurian, Zara Doloukhanian, Adene Frances, Lili Chookasian, Lucy Ishkhanian, Cathy Berberian, Louisa Bozabalian, Kallen Esperian and many more... with short biographies, and their dramatic personalities. The album contains 300 pages, induding more than 280 photographs, both in sepia and full color. Hard cover 10.25" x12.75".

"ARMENIAN !(OMEN OF THE SIAGE' at $79 (US) ea&, induding shipping and handling.

copy(ies) of "IRAN-ARMENIA, Golden Bridges"

$79 (US) each, including shipping & handling.

Checks payable to:

Edith Navasugian P.O.Box 11535 G1endale,

CAgl206

Cnv/Serr/Zrp

Phone 818.957.5389

Tcrepnoue (

Email ednavas@aol.com

Fax 818.957,5372

Monastic Gomplex 0pen lon Wonship Kecharis, the medieval monastery (right and below right) built between the llth and l3th centuries underwent rcnovation and was officially reopened last month. Located in Tsaghkadsor,

just a half hour from

Yerevan,

Kecharis was a cultural and religious center where medieval scholars lived and worked.

The area around Kecharis was

a favorite

Soviet-era sports training and vacation center. The govemment hopes that it can again play this role. The I 700th anniversary of the acceptance of Christianity was the opportunity to renovate and rebuild aspects of the monastic complex in order to make it again usable for worship. and accessible to visitors.

Ilnessed Up Manneken Pis

The cennly-old, world-renowned statue of

the Manneken Pis (above) was dressed in Armenian cosnrme by the Armeniiurs of Belgium. The statue, the cherished symbol of the

city of Brussels is to Belgium what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. The bronze depiction of a little boy urinating atop a fountain is located in the center of historic Brussels and is considered the capital's official mascot. Brussels is the seat of the European Union and NATO, and therefore its small Armenian community has more than its share of political work to do in the city. So does the Armenian embassy. Ambassador Vigen Chitechian who

is Armenia's representative to the Benelux countries as well as the European Union, was part of the special ceremony which preceded the dressing of the statue. Over the past several hundred years, various groups have contributed clothes fbr the Manneken. and visitors can see those outfits at the nearby museum, Maison du Roi. AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

Inaces ol Boungeoisie Istanbul, or ConstantinoPle, as

it was known for hundreds of

years, was a major EuroPean meffopolis. With all the political

problems between Armenians and Turks, it is sometimes forgotten that some Armenians in ConstantinoPle lived a comfortable, bourgeois life, complete with all the amenities, diversions and luxuries of a comfortable, urban lifestyle. These advertisements, which appeared in various tum of the century

Armenian publications from Constantinople attest to the variety of services and pleasures available, the sophistication

ofthe audience, and the omnipresence ofthe Sultan. Mkrtich Frenkian, the gun dealer, was a special licensee of the Sultan. Phoenix Autrichien had a license from the Sultan to provide insurance services through the Credit Lyonnais. And the women who needed breast development, beautification and firmness' could receive such services, firm in the knowledge that 'Oriental tablets'could achieve such results without side-effects. Istanbul's Surb Prgic Hospital's monthly publication featured pages and pages of these advertisements - many of them decades ahead of their time'

Expnes$ing Appneciation is not allowed to consume any part of the sacrificial lamb. But lambs and sheep are expensive. For those who can't afford such a large expression of thanks, chickens or pigeons will do. These are special chickens or pigeons, however. Chickens for madagh are sold wherever you see a cross on a door.

Many cultures have used animal sacrifice to God (or the gods) as a way of expressing appreciation. Sacrificing is also a form of proving loyalty or asking for special favors or dispensation.

Armenians still practice the tradition of animal sacrifice or madagh. [n Armenia, surviving death, a major accident or operation, or some other calamity usually results in a chick-

For the squeamish, the vegetarians' or those simply not into such an elaborate process, there is a simple way to make a special wish or ask for special favors. Near

en or sheep being offered in thanks for a disaster averted. Anew home or new child are often

welcomed with a sacrifice, too. But it's not as simple as picking an animal and proceeding to kill and cook it. The sacrificial lamb (or sheep or chicken) must first be taken to church. Salt, too, has to be on hand. The priest blesses the salt and the lamb. The salt is given to the animal to eat, and then the sacrifice is made. With a few drops of the animal's blood the priest makes a cross on the forehead of the person offering the sacrifice; others who want to be so blessed can also receive this benediction. The dead animal is taken home, cooked, and - here is where the sacrifice differs from a regular feast. Traditionally, seven portions are

the ancient Khor Virab monastery there are pigeon vendors, with cages full of birds for sale just for this purpose. Khor Virab is not an arbitrary destination. Within a stone's

throw of the Turkish border and with Mt. Ararat in plain view, tradition says a hearti-

to seven families. Others go beyond that and divide up the whole animal and give pound-size portions to the poor and needy. For some, the old rules hold, the family given away

AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

ly expressed wish accompanied by releasing a bird toward Mt. Ararat is sure to come true. Of course, as with all pigeons, these birds, too, eventually fly back to their owners, and are "recycled." But the joy of ler ting a bird free as you make your wish is not only worth the 1000 Dram ($2) but it's also an unforgettable exPerience.

J0H1{ HUGHES

id you hear about the new water park in Armenia? You're waiting for the punchline aren't you? So was I when I heard about it. It isn't a joke. Well, it isn't meant to be. Fact is, the place - near the Yerevan Zoo is - quite a spectacle, with loopy tunnels and chutes and high-rise slides so that a person could hit the pool with a splash not seen in these parts since Noah. Got some life-sized stucco elephants just to complete the whole fun in the water theme. Or maybe they're fiberglass. Personally, I think camels would be more appropriately symbolic. But anyway. Considering that most people in this city only get water about two hours a day, isn't

building

water theme park a

bit

putting a pacifier an inch from the reach of a crying baby? Maybe it's just me. But as I'm standing in my Yerevan bathroom, loading a small bucket from a large tub of water to pour it in the bowl to flush my toilet, I'm seeing the new flashy splashy as several thousand gallons of irony.

Reminds me of a time

Next moming: Awake when the water came on at around seven, I started the rinse process, realizing quickly how hard it is to remove soapsuds from Levis under a weak,

cold trickle.

Still,

finished in the hour before the

water ran out and leaned from my kitchen window to put my work on the clothesline, just like Rose below me, Margarite above me,

Alla beside me. Just me and the housewives. Hanging out. And hanging out. More than ever I wished I could speak the language, so I could gossip with the girls:

"Yes, yes, it's terrible the way the Gevorkians and the Ghazarians fight over the best parking place."

Or: "...Well, I heard that Youknowwho and Youknowwhoelse were youknowwhating, youknowwhere..."

was in Lapaz,

Bolivia looking at souvenir cigarette lighters in a place where, at 15,000 feet, the air is so thin there's hardly enough oxygen to light a match. The city of a million or so didn't even have a fire department.

And, while contemplating whether

I'11

have time to lather up with soap, shampoo, hair conditioner and bodywash before plung-

ing down Yerevan's new slippy slide, I'm thinking, too, about the first time I did my laundry here.

"If you've got jeans and towels to wash, it's better to soak them overnight," my friend Astghik had told me. So, I made sure I was in my flat when the water came on at around 5 p.m. I filled the Khruschev-sized bathtub, loaded the water up

with a soap called (and I am not kidding about this, either) "Barf," went elbow deep in the ice cold water and started scrubbing jeans and towels. By the time the scrubbing was done, the water had stopped running, so I let the load soak ovemight.

flushing. So maybe that's what the new waterpark is all about a dousing of Armenian stubbomness that says: "We may not have work-

ing pumps in our buildings, where services

I wished I could say stufflike that, followed by the noiseArmenian women make to express disgust. Sounds like chickens clucking. I digress. The laundry. Couldn't wait to get home the evening of the second day to enjoy freshly washed and air dried bluejeans and towels.

building in urban Armenia or anywhere else? Pigeons. On the line above. Doing what pigeons do. On your towels andjeans. The laundry process that was already in its third day had to start all over and initial thoughts of "ain't this quaint" drowned in a stream of words I can't print that ended in "...water system." The next day I found a laundromat - an Armenian joint-venture with Germany or the Dutch or one of those other countries known for hygiene. I missed hanging out with the girls. But not that much. Well. I simply cannot accept that this place whose historical legacy is of the Great Flood has such problems when it comes to delivering water. I was in one of Yerevan's newest, nicest, restaurants recently. For the first time I saw an electric handdryer here. It was right above the ubiquitous big banel of water designated for

turned the corner into the courtyard,

looked up at my handiwork outside the

are supposed to be provided, but we've - by God got acres of waterworld fun we're

willing to pay for. With fake elephants

and

everything. So there."

It is worth mentioning that

the park con-

struction is an outside enterprise. The Spaniards are doing

it.

Never mind that in August this country appealed to intemational agencies for drought

fourth-floor window and imagined how

relief.

Michelangelo must have felt the first time he came down off that scaffold and looked into the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I gestured to the clothesline. Then waved

Which prompts images of a day I see coming at the new theme park when old men with empty gas canisters and housewives with plastic bottles line up in the shallow end of the wave pool and start hauling off the

to the girls. (They are always looking out their windows. I think it is their job.) Do you know the shortcoming of having a laundry line that's not on the top floor of a AIM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OOO

Spaniards' hard-eamed water.

This is Armenia. It could happen. I'll be there, too. With a box of Barf.

. I .: - : t.ttt. l

r:r !i:!- ri 'I I . I r,r;,.i i!+-,?:r. l

.:r,ti,':':1'9-lii: i41,"i:-

:..:

, I

:refions,

'$urff#ry

Grand Tobacco Ours is Different. Ours is Armenian. lTe Grow Our Own loDurru 30,000 Armenian farmers get their income by growing tobacco for us.

ftilnlttllnrltttr Our Own

fiuarctttl. More than 1,000 people work at our ever-growing plant in Armenia.

Togetlttr lTr An Buililino on lndeprtldettl flrmmio.

For More

Information About Surgeon General's Warning: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy.

6f0nd IODAAO and rts Products

visit lTHu.orulldt0Dfft0.t0lll